Boring to begin for new St. Clair River pipeline

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Enbridge Energy will begin drilling the pathway for a new pipeline between Marysville and Sarnia next week. The new segment of line five will be placed beneath the St. Clair River rather than anchored to the bottom of the river bed, with spokesperson Ryan Duffy telling WPHM it will reduce the chances of a spill. “It’s recognized in the industry as the best way to do this,” said Duffy, referencing the Horizontal Directional Drilling Process. “It minimizes the environmental risk through the construction and then operation, and it’s the least intrusive option.”

Duffy says drilling rigs will be place on both the Michigan and Ontario sides of the river with directional drilling scheduled to begin March first. The new segment of pipeline could be operational as soon as July of this year. The old pipeline would then decommissioned an capped. Line five carries crude oil and petroleum byproducts between Superior Wisconsin and Sarnia Ontario, crossing both the St. Clair River and the Straits of Mackinac.