BRAINERD, Minn. — Editor's note: The video above originally aired May 27, 2021.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) says it is investigating a spill of drilling fluid into the Willow River in Aitkin County last week during construction on the Enbridge Line 3 oil pipeline.
MPCA says about 80 to 100 gallons of drilling fluid, or mud, were inadvertently released on July 6 at a construction site. Enbridge spokesperson Juli Kellner tells Minnesota Public Radio News that the company immediately shut down the drilling operation, and crews began containment and cleanup.
Investigators say the drilling mud was a combination of bentonite clay, water and xanthan gum, which it says is not toxic and commonly used as a food additive.
“There were no impacts to any aquifers nor were there downstream impacts because environmental control measures were installed at this location,” Kellner stated.
Environmental groups opposed to the Line 3 project are criticizing the incident. They say fine particles in drilling mud could impact aquatic life.
Line 3 would carry Canadian tar sands oil and regular crude from Alberta and across North Dakota and Minnesota to Wisconsin. The construction sites have been the target of large protests that have drawn environmental activists from around the country.
Enbridge says construction on Line 3 is more than halfway complete. It expects the pipeline to be operating by the fourth quarter of this year.