Wisconsin Deals with Oil, Gas Spills

Oil and gasoline spills are now causing problems in two Wisconsin counties, after a weekend oil leak in the central part of the state.

One of the pipelines owned by the Enbridge Corporation has leaked 50,000 gallons of oil onto a farm pasture in Adams County, near the town of Grand Marsh. Two local families have been evacuated, as clean-up crews supervised by the EPA remove topsoil in hopes of capturing the oil before it gets into local drinking water. Ed Culhane is a spokesperson for the Wisconsin DNR. He says Enbridge expects to soon repair the broken pipeline, and the hope is that a nearby county highway will soon re-open. Enbridge has had spills in Wisconsin before, and two years ago had a major leak in Michigan, that recently led a federal official to compare the company to the keystone cops. But Culhane says Enbridge is cooperating on the Adams County spill.

Culhane says the cause of Adams County spill will be investigated. Meanwhile in Washington County, West Shore Pipeline, the company that leaked 54,000 gallons of gasoline on July 17 plans an informational meeting in the town of Jackson Tuesday night. The DNR says seven local wells are showing signs of contamination.