|
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced today that it has reached an agreement with Enbridge to address an aquifer breach related to the construction of the Line 3 Replacement Project at the Moose Lake site near Swatara in Aitkin County.
As part of the resolution, Enbridge has agreed to:
- Fund $1.2 million in Supplemental Environmental Projects, to be selected by the DNR, to benefit natural resources.
- Pay $300,000 in civil penalties to address violations associated with the aquifer breach.
- Fund $100,000 for ongoing DNR monitoring of the Moose Lake site.
- Provide $1.2 million in financial assurance for mitigation of any potential future impacts that the breach may have on Moose Lake or other natural resources in the area.
The completion of this agreement closes the DNR’s enforcement related to the Moose Lake site. The DNR will continue to monitor the Moose Lake site and continue other monitoring as outlined in existing Line 3 Replacement Project permits and site-specific plans.
Additional background:
Enbridge reported the upwelling of groundwater at the Moose Lake site in August 2022. Following extensive investigation, the DNR determined that there was a confined aquifer breach at the site. The groundwater flow at the surface from the Moose Lake aquifer breach was estimated at 10-15 gallons/minute, considerably lower than the 100-300+ gallons/minute initially observed at the three other confirmed aquifer breach sites previously investigated by the DNR (Clearbrook, LaSalle Creek and Mile Post 1102.5).
With the cooperation of Enbridge, the DNR evaluated several options to manage the flow of groundwater at the site. Early in the evaluation, the DNR determined that it would not be feasible to completely stop the flow of groundwater at the site because of the highly challenging peatland terrain and very complex hydrology. The DNR further determined that attempting to completely stop the groundwater flow would result in unacceptable damage to the natural resources in the area. From the fall of 2022 through 2023, Enbridge performed corrective actions designed to stabilize the site under DNR oversight. The DNR also established long-term monitoring locations and protocols for the site and will use funds from this settlement to perform this monitoring.
###
|
