We have the use of our land again!

Restoration crews have been busy returning the soil to its proper place. We can see the sky again, and I'm thinking about replanting my raspberry bushes which were cruelly ripped out last fall.

After we complained about the rocks and large branches left in the yard and made it unmowable, a large crew came back and worked for another half a day to make it more similar to what it was before being ripped up.

What I don't feel good about is off-shore drilling. I have a fear of this oil pipeline, especially since I will be walking on it at times. But in perspective and with the terrible environmental and economic tragedy occuring in the Gulf of Mexico, this now appears to be the better alternative. What we really need is to reduce our need for oil,and start investing in alternative energy sources.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 6/02/2010 at 2:48 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Spill near Deer River, Minnesota

Photo of a Whooping Crane, taken at the International Crane Foundation near Baraboo, Wisconsin. ICF addresses endangered species management, wetland ecology, habitat restoration, and the critical need for international cooperation. View their website at www.savingcranes.org .

On the subject of Enbridge Pipelines, reported on April 23, 2010:

A wildfire near Deer River singed part of the Enbridge Energy oil pipeline near Deer River, Minnesota. An oil spill into a small waterway was discovered at the site. Crews assessing damage from the fire found a leak of about 210 gallons. Enbridge crews placed absorbent materials at the scene.

The wildfire singed one pipe in a pair of older above ground pipelines. The pipe suffered fire damage to a corrosion coating on the outside but was not leaking. The other older pipe that wasn't singed was the one that had been leaking.

The spill was on Leech Lake Reservation land.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 5/11/2010 at 11:30 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: deer river, minnesota

Birds endangered by the Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

Lots of gulls on the beach in Florida - and one skimmer.

These birds are in danger due to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Here are some of my favorite bird photos, taken in Florida last Feb. and March:

Gulls flying in the sunset over the beach at Naples, FL.

Pelicans begging for scraps from the fishermen.

White Egret

An anhinga drying his wings in the sun.

A wood stork sitting on his "knees" in the Everglades of Florida.

A juvenile Glossy Ibis looking for a good bite to eat - in The Everglades. This ibis is in a gradual molt to white adult plumage.

Great Blue Heron in flight.

A great blue heron at rest.

It's a worst-case scenario for birds, their habitat, shrimpers, oyster harvesters, crabbers.

Blue crabs from the Gulf of Mexico.

Key West Shrimp.

What more can be said?

Posted by: J. Johnson on 5/03/2010 at 7:24 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Daffodils are in Bloom and Update on Trespass Charge

As of 4/10, my daffodils started blooming. I cut a bouquet for the house. This is my favorite flower of all flowers - so tough, so brilliant. I have them scattered all over the yard and my garden. They will grow anywhere, and the deer and rabbits don't like the taste. This is a full 5 weeks ahead of last year.

Here is my collage of daffodils. I couldn't decided on my favorite, and none of the individual photos captured the color and feeling, so I combined them into one image. Welcome, springtime!

About our friend, Jeremy Engleking, who was arrested for trespassing on his own land:

Douglas County has dropped the trespassing charge because the statute requires a specific "no trespassing" sign to be in place, and there was none. He is still facing a disorderly conduct charge, and is scheduled to go on trial June 1, prepared to mount a vigorous defense. "Under no circumstances will I let this go," he said. He said he offered no resistance Dec. 2 to Sgt. Robert Smith, who ordered him to the ground and then handcuffed him.

You go! Jeremy, and good luck to you.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 4/13/2010 at 12:49 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

Oil is Flowing

Beautiful sunset over Chub Lake a couple of nights ago.

Blue lake, blue sky, mergansers swimming and fishing.

News from the pipeline:

Oil is flowing in the 1000 mile long Alberta Clipper pipeline to Superior as of April 1. It moves slowly - it will take at least 5 months to reach Superior, then will go across Wisconsin to the Chicago area and refineries there. 97 % of the oil will bypass the Superior refinery. This pipeline will eventually carry 800,000 barrels per day.

The National Wildlife Federation has opposed the pipeline from the start. They call it their Dirty Fields Campaign. Here is a link to their website. www.nwf.org . Worth checking out.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 4/09/2010 at 3:10 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Ice Out Date and More Milfoil Information

Yeah! Spring is here! The ice is officially gone from Chub Lake as of April 2. When I looked out the window on Friday morning, I was greeted by 3 eagles flying over the sparkling, blue, open water. What a great Friday! Also, right about that time 2 mergansers swam by. This is why I love living on a lake! Always something new to see, always in touch with the changing of seasons.

My notes from the March 29 Chub Lake Association meeting with MN DNR people:

About 70 or more members were in attendance at the meeting. Rich Rezanka with the MN DNR Invasive Species Program was the presenter. Also in attendance were Mike Scott and Scott Staples, local DNR official, and Gordon Aanerud, Carlton County Commissioner.

Some background information about Eurasian Watermilfoil:

It originates from Europe and Asia but is not a problem there due to natural competition.
It grows extremely fast, as much as 5 inches per day.
It can grow in as little as 2 feet and up to 15 feet of water.
It grows up to the surface, then starts to grow out at the surface and continues to branch out to form a heavy mat.
If caught early, it can be controlled or managed.
It can never be eradicated from a lake.
In nutrient rich lakes such as Chub Lake, it will form heavy underwater stands and a heavy canopy.
It crowds out native plants.
Pieces break off and form new plants.
Good News - in some lakes the plants co-exist with native flora and has little effect on fish.
EWM is found in all states. It was first found in MN in 1987.
Stands of milfoil were found in 12 new lakes in Mn in 2009.
7.59 acres on the north end of the Chub lake near the park and .96 acres on the NW side of the lake are affected.

What are the options?

Do nothing.
Us a herbicies.
Mechanical control.
Biocontrol - Use of natural predators to control problem species. 3 insects are known to feed on EWM - a moth named watermilfoil moth or water veneer, a midge, and a weevil native to MN.

Grants

DNR Grants - a competitive process with limited funds and much demand.
EDRR grant - Early Detection and Rapid Response Grant. Priority is given to lakes where EWM was discovered in the last 5 years. Competitive process - limited funds and much demand.

Other information:

The cost for herbicide treatment is $200-$300 per acre and needs to be applied by a private contractor.
a permit from DNR must be obtained to do anything to the lake: chemical, herbicide, or harvesting.
Most lake associations ask for donations to pay the cost of treatment. Sometimes taxes are imposed.
DNR does not have authority to close public accesses. This must come from the state legislature, where there is not much support for this.
DNR has tryied placing markers to limit boat access to infested areas, but they have had not had much success with this, so are no longer doing it.

Chemicals used:

2, 4-D a successful chemical for EWM, but cannot be used if funded by the state.
Floridone - a slow acting (80-90 days) chemical used for whole lake treatment. It kills all plants, and native populations don't bounce back. Algae blooms will probably increase. If lake water is used to water gardens, it will kill garden plants for 80-90 days. There and no human impact issues.
Triclopyr - the herbicide of choice . It's higher priced, takes 1 month before results are seen, becomes inactive in 2-3 weeks, and can be used in spot application. After application, recommended that there should be no swimming, watering gardens, and allowing pets in the water for 7 - 14 days.
Chemicals should be applied in late June or early July, depending on water temperature.
Recommendations from DNR are to use a low dose of triclopyr and do not use mechanical means at this point.
Small stands can usually be kept under control with triclopyr.
If native plants are diminished, algae bloom increases.

Biocontrol: Biocontrol can easily cause more trouble than good. Here is a link to a website that addresses biocontrol:

fwcb.cfans.umn.edu/research/milfoil/milfoilbc.html

A question was asked regarding the effect of Enbridge pumping water from the lake. Answers included : milfoil was dormant at the time of pumping. The permit cost to Enbridge was $100. The water was pumped out and returned to the lake. It was filtered when returned. The force of the water being pumped back could have spread plant fragments. No one knows the answer to this.

Plan of action:

Chub Lake will be resurveyed sometime in the next year to determine the extent of spread of EWN by Rich Rezanka.
the Lake Association is responsible to apply for a DNR permit to do anything to the lake.
50 % homeowner approval is required to request chemical application. A petition will be distributed as has been done in the past.
County Board funding will be requested.
The Lake Association will apply for the EDRR grant when it becomes available.
Other grants will be applied for as available.

Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers Program>: Volunteers can be trained to check boats and educate people at the boat landing.

The Association will probably need front money to pay for chemical treatment. We will present a request at the county meeting for discussion on the 1st Tuesday of the month at 4:00 for discussion and the 2nd Tuesday of the month to act on the proposal.

The annual meeting of the Chub Lake Association will be on Monday, June 14. The homeowner dues are set at $10.00 right now. We could ask for higher dues. Only about 1/2 of all homeowners have been paying dues.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 4/06/2010 at 5:45 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Aerial Photos

These aerial photographs were taken by my neighbor, Jay, last October. Above is the stockpile of pipe after about half of the pipes had been moved.

This is a view of the northern section of Chub Lake. The road you see is the West Chub Lake Road. The pipeline is Enbridge's work.

This is a view of the north east part of Chub Lake, with my torn up backyard in the center top of the photo.

A view of Chub Lake Park, with the pipeline going through it to the West Chub Lake Road. This really shows the wide area that was dug up for the pipeline.

Another view of the area to the east of the park, including my backyard.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 3/23/2010 at 6:18 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Ice Out

It has been unseasonably warm here. In March so far, we have had 16 days without any below freezing temperatures. The ice is beginning to show signs of disintegrating. It will still hold a person, although I would not recommend it at this point. The snow is mostly gone, and what remains is the piles that were left by snow plows or drifts.

I have a personal record of ice-out dates since 1988. The earliest by far was March 31, 2000. The latest was May 4, in 1996. Other dates include April 21, 28, 22, 19, 21, 24, 18, 29, 26, 10, 15, 28, 20, 17, 20, 14, 13, and April 22. That makes the average, throwing out the oddball early and late dates, April 20. It looks like we are heading for a record early year, but you never know.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 3/21/2010 at 10:40 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Eurasian Watermilfoil in Chub Lake

This is MN DNR's map of EWM (Eurasian Watermilfoil) found in Chub Lake samples. Unfortunately for us, most of the harmful exotics found were on the north side of the lake, near the public landing, which is also near our house. Two of the red dots are right in front of our house. Last spring, I noticed for the first time some red blossom-like growths that were extending above the water. Turns out those were EWM blossoms. Also, we also noticed a much larger than normal area of weeds extending out past our dock. At the time we blamed it on the low water levels, but it turns out that was also the EWM.

Go to this link for more information from the Minnesota DNR. www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquaticplants/milfoil/index.html

This is a copy of the identifier card sent to us by the DNR. Notice that the EWM plant is very similar to the Northern Watermilfoil which is native to our lake and many northern lakes. You have to look very closely to identify which is which.

The DNR offers funds for up to 5 years for management of milfoil.A meeting has been set for March 29. 2010 to discuss EWM. The meeting will be held at the Carlton County Transportation Building at 7 p.m. I will keep all you readers updated on the information.

Milfoil is able to reproduce very successfully and rapidly through the formation of plant fragments created by boaters or other disturbances (such as pumping large quantities of water from the lake?) during any time of the year. A new plant can start from a tiny piece of a milfoil plant. In late summer and fall the plants become brittle and naturally break apart.

Enbridge's pumping area, which was directly in front of the park, was in one of the sample areas where EWM was found. Given this information, allowing Enbridge to pump water from the lake seems like a very bad idea. I will be very interested in hearing the reasoning of DNR on this issue.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 3/18/2010 at 8:14 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Superior Refinery Won't Be Using New Oil Source

Superior Refinery Doesn't need a new oil source, and won't be using any of the oil from Canada.

So who does????

According to the Duluth News-Tribune article on March 14, 2010, where they finally had a 2 page spread about the pipeline - (Entire front page article in the Sunday edition, plus a complete inside page. Most of the words were devoted to the great ecomomic impact on our area, and how everyone here was so very Minnesota nice to the out of state workers.)

This is the only new information I gleaned from the article:

Dave Podratz, Superior refinery manager for Murphy Oil USA, said existing pipelines bring his refinery enough oil. They will not be using any of the oil brought to them by the Alberta Clipper pipeline. New oil moving on the Alberta Clipper will probably keep moving south, on another Enbridge pipeline - called the Southern Access - to refineries in Illinois and Indiana, such as a new BP refinery outside Chicago.

Murphy Oil decided not to build its $6 billion refinery expansion in Superior for several reasons. Experts say demand for gasoline may have peaked in 2007 and might never get that high again. And, the US is importing more and more refined gasoline from refineries overseas, lowering demand for US refineries even more. Three U.S. refineries closed in the past year, so Murphy decided that it's not the best time to be expanding.

Do you think that maybe they won't be using the pipeline after all? That maybe there really isn't any need for it? The company probably just wanted to contribute to the economic well being of northern Minnesota. Very kind of them to do all that for us.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 3/16/2010 at 9:48 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Work is coming to a close

Work has been completed at the park. Most of the dirt has been replaced (you can still see a pile of dirt in the back left side of the photo) and the equipment has been all moved out. I talked to someone who works for Precision Pipeline, and he said that road restrictions are on until sometime in May, so nothing will be done around here until then. Precision Pipeline employees have all moved on to Nevada to work on a major project there.

On the lake, orange cones remain to mark the area of thin ice. All of the ice houses were moved off the lake at the end of Feb. I heard from several fishermen that the lake water was very stirred up after the pumping of the water, so much so that spear fishing became impossible. I heard from the same guy that no water was returned to the lake after all and all that was pumped was deposited into a gravel pit. It's hard to know exactly what information is correct, as so many conflicting versions are around.

As far as our backyard goes, it is still a big mess. Above is a photo of our backyard. You can see the roof of our garage on the right hand side. It appears that we will be looking at this view for a while longer.

I will continue to post updates about the pipeline as clean up work continues here. Also, I will be updating information on the Eurasian Water Milfoil problem here. DNR people will be presenting information to our lake association later this month, and I will keep you informed.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 3/12/2010 at 4:59 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

LOUDLY Testing Pipes Today

I was mistaken - the noise was not over. On Thursday afternoon, last night about 11:30 p.m., and today starting at 7:30 am there was a lot of noise coming from Chub Lake Park. On Thursday afternoon and last night, there was an extremely loud, high pitched sound that lasted about 45 minutes. It sounded like a very low flying jet plane going over the house, but it lasted for a long period of time. When I walked to the park on Thursday, I could not stay but for a very short time because the noise was deafening, literally. It would have been impossible to talk with anyone to find out what was going on. I stayed just long enough to take the above photo. The noise was coming from the plume of vapor in front of the pine tree, about in the center of the photo. I think they were releasing pressure from the pipe, but I am not sure. Then, last night at about 11:30, the same thing. Others in our area were kept awake by the noise too.

This morning starting at 7:30 am, there was the same noise, followed by a very loud sound of rushing water. It sounded like Lake Superior waves crashing in our back yard, or maybe like Niagra Falls. Seriously, it was really loud and very frightening. It continued for about two hours, then diminished to just the sounds of equipment running (still loud, but nowhere near the previous level). Now, about noon, everything is quiet and I can hear the birds chirping and a train in the distance. This evidently was the pressure testing. I don't know if they are finished now, or what is going on.

Above is evidently the setup for returning water to the lake. I think that 55 gallon barrel is their "filter" before returning the water to the lake. Pretty low-tech, considering all the heavy-duty equipment that is around here.

Here is their warning about thin ice where the pipes lead under the ice. You can see the ice-golf set up behind the fenced off area.

The Cloquet/Carlton Rotary has been very busy setting up their ice golf course for Saturday. It is moved to the east of where it usually is because of the pumping area and the thin ice area. Enbridge donated $2500 to them for their "inconvenience". The parking is way up near the ball fields. Good PR for Enbridge, but they need it after the big mess they have made here. A lot of people will be seeing it on Saturday and Sunday, and I don't think too many people realize what has been going on around here. There has been very little press coverage of the entire construction process. Last week, the TV news reported that the lawsuit filed by the American Indians has been dismissed, but I never saw anything in the paper. Considering the presence of all the Precision Pipeline workers in the area, and considering the damage done to our environment, very little attention has been given to this entire project. That is part of the reason for my blog - I think people need to know what is going on with this and the information is not really out there. So, here it is, what little I know and the photos of what I have seen just in my neighborhood - just a little speck of the entire pipeline project.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 2/12/2010 at 12:51 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to you! This is my latest photo montage, inspired by the Encore Performing Arts Center Gallery in Cloquet Valentine's Day Show. The art show is open during the performances of "An Evening of Gilbert nd Sullivan" and "Trial by Jury" on Feb. 11, 12, 13, 1nd 14. For (Just a reminder that all photos on this blog are copyrighted by me).

Lights have been glaring on the snow and ice overnight for the past 5 or 6 nights. It seems like the pressure testing has been completed now. There was a lot of noise and activity for several days and nights, with machines running, our house rattling at times, (and our black and white dog barking), but it seems to be a lot quieter now. Maybe the testing is finished. It seems that there is some activity at the park related to dismantling equipment and cleaning up the park. I think efforts are being made to finish everything up so it will not interfere with the Winterfest activities scheduled for the upcoming weekend.

I was not around the house this past weekend, so I missed out on most of the action around here. I spent the weekend at a women's retreat at Camp Amnicon on Lake Superior, which is close to Superior, Wisconsin. I did some cross country skiing and some snow shoeing, as well as a lot of eating, talking, laughing, reading, knitting, and getting to know a great group of women from my church. This photo of Lake Superior is taken from the shoreline property of the camp. As usual, Lake Superior was showing its power, with waves crashing into the ice blocks which had collected near the shore. It was an amazing sight, one which is different every time you visit the lake.

A photo of a friend snow shoeing near the shoreline of Lake Superior.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 2/10/2010 at 3:00 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Pressure Testing of Pipes

Landowners adjacent to the pipeline near Chub Lake received a letter yesterday containing this and some other generic information (summarized, from Enbridge):

"The pressure test will take place sometime between Feb. 6 and Feb. 20. The test involves using water at high pressure. If there is leak during this planned pressure test, you may see a release of water on the pipeline right-of-way. It is possible that the ejection of water under pressure could throw vegetation, mud and rocks. We ask you to avoid the pipeline right of way and areas immediately adjacent during this testing period. There may be some elevated noises associated with this process and from the normal operation of the equipment and vehicles needed to conduct these tests."

I still can't figure out where all the cars will park on Feb 13 and 14 for the ice golf and the fishing contest at Chub Lake Park. There just isn't much space left for parking, and even under normal circumstances the there isn't enough space for all the cars during this major fundraising event for the Rotary.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 2/06/2010 at 12:00 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Poisoning Precious Water, from a (very) local Perspective to a Global Perspective

Some information about tar sands: From Canadian Indigenous Tar Sands Campaign. Visit www.ienearth.org/cits for more information:

Water is needed in huge amounts in Tar Sands production and infrastructure. It takes up to five gallons of water to produce one gallon of usable oil. This water is being diverted from rivers, lakes, farms, and cities throughout Canada. The water levels in the Athabasca River have already dropped several meters. Much of the water used in Tar Sands production ends up in toxic 'tailing ponds' so vast they are visible from space. These ponds leak toxic waste into local water supplies. A generation ago, the Athabasca River was clear and drinking from it was common. Now, those that live alongside the river consider it poison and off-limits.

Only Saudi Arabia has more oil reserves than Canada. If it were all to be extracted the effect on the climate would be devastating.
Global warmng pollution from Tar Sands oil refineries is expected to soar by as much as 40% in the next decade.
This year, almost half of Canada's emissions will come from the Tar Sands alone.
Tar Sands oil is the worst type of oil for the climate, due to the amount of energy reuired to separate tar from sand and then convert it to oil.
Enough natural gas is used every day extracting Tar Sands to heat 3.2 million Canadian homes for a year.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 1/31/2010 at 6:30 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

"Ice Shack" Photos

Preparations were being made to cover the equipement with an "ice shack".

This doesn't look like any "ice shack" I've ever seen, but it is what was built to enclose the pumps and filters.

The pipes that will carry water to the pipeline pipes is also enclosed in plastic. There are some huge heaters nearby that will be used to blow hot air over the pipes so the water will not freeze on its way up to the big pipes. We talked with one of the inspectors on the job today and he predicts they may begin the pumping as early as next Friday or Saturday. Once they begin, it is non-stop until the testing procedure is over, which may take 24-60 hours. First they will send "pigs" through with some water to clean out any garbage or dirt in the pipes. I believe he said this water would be discharged in "Douglas Pit", by which I believe he means the gravel pit on Douglas Road, about 3 miles northwest of here. Then they will begin the pressure testing, increasing the pressure in stages until it is 1500 pounds pressure (per what, I don't know). They will hold that pressure for a designated period of time (how long, I don't know) before it is brought back to the lake. When I talked to him, there was some confusion on his part as to if the water would be returned to the lake. But after conferring with someone else, he confirmed that most of the water would be returned to the lake. (Filtered and cleaned, I hope). Also, he thought that only 3 miles of pipe would be tested for this section. I get different information from different sources, so it's hard to tell exactly which person has the correct info.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 1/30/2010 at 8:02 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: carlton, minnesota county parks, oil pipeline, twin lakes township

Pumping Water from Chub Lake - New Information

The Pine Journal published an article in today's edition about the pumping of water from Chub Lake. The information was provided by Lorraine Grymala, manager of public affairs for Enbridge. The infomation in this article was slightly different than what I had heard from the county liason person before - so here is the new/revised/added information.

Enbridge generally tests new pipeline construction in 20 mile segments.

The testing will take approximately two weeks.

Added personnel will be on hand to monitor the surrounding ice conditions when the water is later pumped back in, since the procedure can sometimes "thin out the surrounding ice somewhat."

The pumping or return of the water may happen at the same time as the "Hook and Slice on Ice" ice golf event and the Ice Fishing Contest on Feb 13 and 14.

Grymala stated that if the two operations should coincide, we can work around it.

She said the pumps will be enclosed in an "ice shack-type" enclosure that should not be "patently apparent to residents, ice fishermen or other utilizing the frozen lake."

The water will be filtered through a mesh screen as it is extracted from the lake to keep out fish and vegetation, and the water will then be pumped back into the lake at the conclusion of the 2-week testing procedure.

Grymala clarified such testing is a normal part of the construction process.

What I want to know is: Is this normal for a lake???

Posted by: J. Johnson on 1/29/2010 at 7:33 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Pipeline Set to Come into Service on April 1, 2010

From the Winnipeg Free Press:

Enbridge Inc.'s Alberta Clipper crude oil pipeline is set to come into service on April 1 - months ahead of schedule.

Chief financial officer Richard Bird told a CIBC conference that the 1600 kilometres line was originally supposed to start up in July.

The Southern Lights pipeline is also set to start up ahead of schedule. The Southern Lights pipeline will carry light oil from the Chicago area back to Alberta's oilsands. The light oil, or diluent, is blended with the thick heavy oilsands crude so that it can flow more easily in a pipeline.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 1/29/2010 at 4:21 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

7.6 Million Gallons of Water

I drove to the park yesterday (OK, so I'm a cold weather wimp, I don't deny it, - but it was 8 below with a wind chill of 30 below) because I could see that there was a lot of new equipment there, and a lot of activity going on. These two yellow monsters appear to be pumps of some kind....

I don't know what these are: tanks for pressure or to hold water?

Guys (no women, as far as I could tell) were working on something in a hole, welding and grinding;

Who knows what this is??? I didn't see the supervisor's red truck around, and all the workers seemed too cold and busy to stop and chat, so I called the liason person for Carlton County Transportation (Right of Way/Permits). This is what I learned from her:

Testing of pipes will begin soon. They will indeed be using lake water for the testing.

Pumping will probably begin next week, possibly on Tuesday.

They will pump 7.6 millions gallons of water from Chub Lake, then run it through the pipelines, both the 20" and 36" pipes, from Superior to Alberta, and back to Chub Lake Park. From there, they will filter it, test it, and return the 7.6 million gallons of water to the lake, all with "minimal impact on the lake".

I was told that removing this 7.6 million gallons of water is predicted to reduce the lake level by only one inch.

I was told that it will not alter the conditions of the ice, and it will continue to be as safe as it is now to walk on or drive on.

I asked about the corral of hay bales surrounded by plastic, but the person I talked to did not know anything about those. She thought she would drive out tomorrow and take a look at what is going on.

Also, she said that letters are supposed to have been mailed out to adjacent landowners explaining the process to them. I have not received one yet, and she had not either. Also, the MN DNR gave their approval for this process.

This is all very amazing to me. The lake level is already very low, and has been for several years. We are fighting Eurasian Watermilfoil. Now, they are going to pump a huge amount of water from the lake to run through pipes, then think everything will be just the same after it is returned? Somehow, I don't think so.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 1/29/2010 at 12:17 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

OIl Spills, Ruptures, Leaks, and Blasts Do Happen

In the News last week-

Jan 10, 2010

Enbridge Pipeline crews are cleaning up an oil leak near Neche, N.D. Heavy equipment was at the site skimming soil from the surface to the frost line. By: Devin Bonham, Grand Forks Herald.

Enbridge crews are cleaning up a 3000 barrel oil spill. The leak, reported to be about 126,000 gallons of light crude oil, was detected late Friday night by an Enbridge control center. The leak occurred north and east of Neche, just off of 109th Ave, east of N.D. Highway 18, near the US and Manitoba border. Enbridge official said the pipeline immediately was shut down and isolated by closing valves upstream and downstream of the suspected leak site. The leak is contained within the Enbridge right-of-way, and "no water or wildlife have been affected" (quotation marks are mine).

The affected line reportedly was built in the 1940's. It runs from Cromer, Manitoba to Superior, Wisc. The segment of what is known as Line 2B between Cromer and Clearbrook, MN .

Some other interesting information about oil spills by Enbridge:

Pipeline ruptures and oil spills cause enormous and irreversible damage to entire watersheds and ecosystms impacting fish, wildlife, plants, and drinking water. The following is a summary of the information publicly available on Enbridge pipeline spills and ruptures for 2003-2007. These spills and releases occurred throughout Enbridge's transmission pipelines in Canada and the United States, found at www.enbridge.com/corporate/ . A reportable spill is any spill reportable to a regulatory jurisdiction. What is considered "reportable" can change from one province, state or country to the next.

2007: 65 reportable liquids spills totaling 13,777 barrels.

2006: 67 reportable liquid spills totaling 5,363 barrels.

2005: 70 reportable liquid spills totaling 9,825 barrels.

2004: 69 reportable liquid spills, totaling 3,252 barrels.

2003: 62 reportable liquid spills, totaling 6,410 barrels.

One of the Major Spills in the Midwest:

At least 176,000 gallons of crude oil was spilled from Enbridge pipelines operating in Wisconsin. A Jan. 1, 2007 spill near Curtis in Clark County occurred from a 4 foot crack in a buried 24 inch line and spilled 50,000 gallons of crude ol onto farmland and into a drainage ditch. . A Feb. 2, 2007 break near Exeland in Rusk County occurred in the same pipe because of a construction accident in installing a new 42 inch line. The Exeland leak of 126,000 gallons of crude sprayed oil onto trees and other vegetation and filled a hole more than 20 feet deep and was reported to have contaminated the local water table.

In 2009 in Wisconsin, Enbridge Energy Partners L.P. were also ordered to pay $1.1 million to settle a lawsuit filed against it by the Wisconsin attorney general's office. At issue were over 100 environmental violations arising from the company's construction of the pipeline stretching from Superior to Whitewater in 2007 and 2008. The lawsuit alleged that Enbridge violated numerous permits during the pipeline project, resulting in impacts to wetland and navigable waterways. The incidents of violation were numerous and widespread, and resulted in impacts to the streams and wetlands throught the various watersheds.(Source: Duluth News-Tribune. By Peter Passi. Jan. 2, 2009).

Largest Recorded Spill:

The largest recorded spill on an Enbridge pipeline in Canada (not the US0 is 4,000,000 litres. This occurred in 1994 near St. Leon, MB. The cause was listed as "Other/Improper Operation".

Other Spills and Violations:

On July 4, 2002 an Enbridge pipeline ruptured in a marsh near the town of Cohasset, Minnesota in Itasca County, spilling 6000 barrels of crude oil. In an attempt to keep the oil from contaminating the Mississippi River, the Minnesota DNR set a controlled burn that lasted for 1 day and created a smoke plume about 1 mile high and 5 miles long.

On March 18, 2006, approx. 613 barrels of crude oil were released when a pump failed at Enbridge's Willmar terminal in Saskatchewan. According the Enbridge, about half of the oil was recovered.

In April 2007, roughly 6,227 barrels of crude oil spilled into a field downstream of an Enbridge pumping station near Glenavon, Saskatchewan. This leak in line 3 was in one of the biggest Canadian oil pipelines to the US. The leak was discovered when an Enbridge control centre in Edmonton noticed a drop in pressure on the pipeline and shut it down about 6 minutes after the leak occured. Emergency crews found the leak about 2 1/2 hours later. Long term site remediation is being attempted to bring the site to "as close as possible to its original condition". In January 2001, there was a significant rupture, where more than 20,000 barrels spilled near Hardisty. By May, "almost all" the oil had been recovered.

In January 2009 an Enbridge pipeline leaked about 4000 barrels of oil southeast of Fort McMurray at the company's Cheecham Terminal tank farm. It was reported in the Edmonton Journal that most of the spilled oil was contained within berms, but that about 40 barrels sprayed into the air.

And the closest to home:

Nov 29, 2007

A fatal pipeline blast killed two employees. The blast occured at its Clearbrook terminal in Minnesota. The blast occured as the employees engaged in scheduled maintenance on the pipeline. The pipeline that suffered the explosion carried 450,000 barrels a day and had already been down for maintenance. Enbridge faces lawsuits from the families of the two fatalities as well as other injuries that occurred in the accident.

This hits very close to home as one of the victims (Steve Arnovich) was the beloved son of a long time coworker of mine.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 1/28/2010 at 8:45 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

Tags: oil spills

Vacation Photos and a Check

Here is one of my favorite photos from our recent trip. It captures the color and feeling of the island. I love the laundry hanging right over the sidewalk, and the open door.

I have nothing new to report on the pipeline - BUT, I do have a check in hand, or rather in the bank. It was waiting for us when we returned from our vacation. So now we have some closure to 1 1/2 years plus of dealing with legal issues relating to the pipeline. It took a long time, but was definately worth it. We had a good lawyer who knew the ropes and knew the local people who would be favorable in their appraisals. Again, I am not happy with the settlement. Our land is still a big mess, and the value will never be the same. But I am glad that we got a much better settlement than what was originally offered, considering that we had no power to stop the process.

This is a photo taken in the cemetery right downtown The graves were decorated and in some cases, refreshments were left for the departed.

A perfect breakfast on our deck, overlooking the Caribbean

Sunset, from the deck on the other side. The island is very narrow, expecially where we were staying, so we were able to see both the sunrise and the sunset from the decks.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 1/27/2010 at 10:07 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

From an Island to the Pipeline

I've been on a trip to a tropical Carribean island - the reason for my lack of new postings. Yes, we had a wonderful time. Warm sun (not too hot), terrific food, no computer, TV, phone, or newspapers. I completely forgot about the pipeline. But now that I am home, it's difficult to ignore. This is what the park looks like:

Currently, it is raining/sleeting/snowing (it's hard to tell what it is as it changes from hour to hour). Work is still in progress at the park. It seems that all the pipes are now underground, but now they are going to be testing them, using water from the lake. They are setting up smaller pipes that go to the lake, and somehow (I have no idea how) they have permission to pump water from the lake into the pipeline. Here is photo of the pipes going to the lake. Apparently this is still a work in progress:

The plan is, I hear, to punch a hole through the ice, pump water up the hill to their pipes,

then after they run it through their pipes, they will pump it to the far side of the pipeline and drain it onto an area between the ballfields. They have enclosed an area with haybales, and this is apparently where all the dirty

lake water will go after they have washed out their pipes with it. Again, I cannot believe Enbridge actually got permission from the DNR to do this to the lake and to our environment. Another testament to the great power of Enbridge.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 1/23/2010 at 4:05 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Jeremy Engelking Scheduled for Trial

From the Duluth News-Tribune Jan. 7, 2010

The criminal case against Jeremy Engelking, the 27 year old Superior man charged with trespasing on his own property, continues to wend its way through the legal system.

Engelking is scheduled to appear in Douglas County Court for a pretrial conference on March 29. A jury trial is slated to follow at 8:30 a.m. April 6.

Engelking was arrested at Taser-point, handcuffed and booked for allegedly interfering with the pipeline work.

A view of our frozen lake with the ice houses:

Fisherman I talked to at the landing say that the lake has had a lot of slush due to the heavy snowfall soon after freeze up. Word has it that conditions have improved somewhat following our cold spell. The orange sign reads "Invasive Species Alert". The DNR along with the Chub Lake Association is having an informational meeting about the Eurasian Watermilfoil on January 20 at the Carlton County DNR Building.

A view of the park with construction equipment.

No, we haven't received a payment yet either, along with the Engelkings.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 1/09/2010 at 4:58 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

At Chub Lake Park

This section of pipe which has been sitting in the park for a long time was finally lowered into place today. This seems to be the last section in this area to be buried.

There has been a ton of activity from the park in the past 3 days. For some reason, even though it is farther from our house than our back yard area, the noise seems to carry more to our house. We can hear a lot of pounding and feel the shaking as they have been trying to break through the frozen ground.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 1/08/2010 at 9:17 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

36" Pipe under the Road

The workers took New Year's Day off, then have worked every day since then, including Sunday. They start when before it is light, and continue until after dark. They have been leaving their machines running overnight, and the lights are on all night. I don't envy anyone working outside right now as it has been REALLY COLD. - -15 degrees at night and high of 10 degrees during the day. They have made a really big mess putting this pipe under the road and it is taking a long time. Our house has been shaking, on and off, for the last week as they try to pound through the frozen ground. There is a really big hole here where they have been working for about 6 days.

In the above photo, I think they have completed the under the road section and are looking to join that to the previously buried pipe.

This view is from the park, facing the same direction as the previous photo. I think this is the other end of the pipe in the above photo.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 1/04/2010 at 9:22 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Man Accused of Trespassing On Own Land

The guys are back at work in earnest. They are moving snow and digging up frozen ground. The cold does not stop them but causes equipment problems. They are beginning to drill under the road, but had an equipment breakdown today and had to stop work early. The photo above is how it looks to have a Temporary Storage Area on your property. This is in our backyard. We can't see the equipment unless we walk around the 2 huge piles of dirt stored on our field. There is about 2 feet on either side to walk on. There won't be any skiing or sliding this year on our property! We own five acres on this side of the road, but none of it is accessible to us until the pipeline is finished.

This photo is taken from the same location, but looking toward our house and the lake. You can see the top of our garage in the upper right side of the photo. No, those piles of snow covered dirt do not belong there.

Below is information about the guy who was arrested for trespassing on his own property. I tried to provide a link to this article in the Duluth News Tribune, but couldn't get it to work. If you want to pay $2.95 for each, you can go to the Duluth News Tribune website and find the two articles which were published on Dec 4 and Dec 5, 2009. I'll paraphrase the information here:

Jeremy Engelking, 27, of Superior, Wisc. was charged Friday with disorderly conduct and trespassing on a construction site in connection with a dispute over an Enbridge pipeline being installed across his property.

He was arrested after he confronted a pipeline crew on his property. He contended that the workers had no right to be on his property, as he had not received any payment from Enbridge. The Engelkings attempted to block the pipeline's installation in September by taking the matter to court, but Judge George Glonek upheld Enbridge's right to install the new line.

A spokeswoman from Enbridge said the family repeatedly has been offered payment but has refused the money. She said Enbridge has offered the Engelkings a financial settlement far in excess of what's called for in the original right of way agreement. The Engelkings have rejected the payments for fear they would have resulted in diminished property rights. Engelking was cited by officers for trespassing on the work site. Engelking said he never resisted arrest. A rifle was strapped to the front but he never threatened anyone with it. He said he was headed out to go deer hunting when he saw the pipeline crew at work on his property.

Engelking said workers told him he was in an unsafe place and asked to to come to an equipment staging area, where he continued to argue his case. As he was turning to leave, Engelking said an officer from the Douglas Couty Sheriff's Dept. arrived and approached with a Taser drawn. "He ordered me to get down on the ground now, and he said that I was being arrested for trespassing," Engelking said. He was placed in handcuffs then trasported to the Douglas Couty Jail, where he posted a $200 bail bond and paid another $100 to recover his impounded ATV.

Engelking's arrest is the latest episode in a long disagreement he and his father have had with Enbridge, dating to 2002. Jerry Engelking owns 200 acres next to his son and said he refused to sign off on changes proposed to the original 1949 easement across his property because he felt the revisions put too many restrictions on how he could use his property. That original easement said future pipes laid along the same route would require payment in advance.

According to court documents, Enbridge sent a $15,000 check to Jerry Engelking and also tried to hand deliver payments, but Engelking refused to accept them.

Engelking said that to claim the money he would have had to broaden the scope on the existing easement across his property, so he turned the checks down. When the latest pipeline project came along, the Engelkings again refused to modify the original 1949 right of way agreement.

The family sought a restraining order against Enbridge on Sept. 24, arguing the company intended to used the pipeline for transporting petroleum products other than those originally allowed, protesting that they had not been paid and citing damage to property. Douglas County Circuit Court Judge George Glonek granted a temporary injunction but lifted it the folllowing day, saying the company's

Jerry Engelking said the fight's not finished yet.

Comments, anyone? By the way, we have not yet received a single cent from Enbridge, and look at what they are doing. We had been told we should receive a check "soon", but that was 5 weeks ago now. And they have been out there digging and destroying since Septmember. I know everyone out there working is very grateful for their paychecks, and I am glad that they are able to provide for their families, but as a landowner here, I feel we are getting screwed. I sympathize with the Engelkings, and have found that as landowners we have no rights when dealing with big companies who make a lot of money. We are just like black flies to be brushed away from their mission. You can purchase land and pay taxes on it, but it is not really yours if some big and powerful corporation wants it.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 12/29/2009 at 3:35 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

A Christmas Blizzard

A very happy New Year to all of you! We had a wonderful Christmas - a blizzard, which is always fun- a beautiful church service, a wonderful and varied meal, and great family time together with children, spouses, grandchildren, and in-laws. The smoked turkey was a big hit, and the fajitas were very Mexican. I think we have started a new tradition - that is to serve a non-traditional menu for Christmas Eve. We did follow through on the traditional (going on 3 years now) Finnish sauna and leap into the snow. The Snow Leap this year was expecially soft due to the 18" of new, fresh snow. This event is especially anticipated by the 3 year old and the 5 year old. They look forward to this all year, and start asking us to turn on the sauna starting in July. We always put them off, saying it is a winter thing to do around here. I know that is not true in Finland, but we need to put them off somehow. They are very persistent. Here is a photo of the leap into the snow - I can't resist posting it.

As far as the pipeline goes, all has been quiet since 12/20. The equipment is parked quietly in our backyard and at the park. I think we are due for some workers soon - even though it is Sunday, I could hear the rumble of the diesel engines this morning when I opened the door to let the dog out. I walked around the big piles of dirt to see what was going on, and sure enough, they are running the equipment today. I didn't see anyone around to talk to, so I think it was a few mechanics working on the machinery to prepare for another round of activity.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 12/27/2009 at 12:44 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Underground

These guys (and a few women) have been really busy on Friday and Saturday. The pipes were lowered into the trenches, and almost immediately the dirt was moved to cover them. The bulldozers followed, leveling out the soil. Now we have to wait for them to drill under the road. In the meantime, lots of huge gray pipes are stored on our property (they use a thicker pipe under the road and it is a different color than the red used in most places) and so is a lot of equipment. When I get ready to leave for Yoga class today, I'll take my camera and take a shot or two of what is going on from the viewpoint of Chub Lake Park Road. Right now, I can't get to the pipeline area easily on foot because of the huge piles of dirt still on our field. Happy shopping, everyone! Christmas is almost here. Time for me to start my house cleaning, although I have about a million things I'd rather be doing.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 12/19/2009 at 10:19 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Pipeliners are back to work in my backyard

It looks like this may be finished before spring, after all. An army of heavy equipment and workers showed up on Thursday, dug a very deep trench, and lowered all of the welded pipe into the trench. It doesn't really show it on this photo, but that trench must be 10 feet deep. There was a lot of noise out on the field, and a lot of noise in our house, with our little dog barking frequently, often at sounds we could not hear. They worked with very bright lights even after it was dark. I think some equipment was left running overnight, because I heard, and felt a rumbling all night long. I don't think it was the furnace. I hope they can make enough progress so that they remove that huge pile of dirt in our yard. I cannot see the sunrise or the deer that might be nearby.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 12/19/2009 at 10:06 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Ice Houses

The lake is frozen, and so am I. For you readers in California, this is what it looks like here in Minnesota. Beautiful, isn't it? Everyday, more houses are being moved onto the lake. Also, the ice is thick enough now that cars and trucks are driving on it.

Posted by: J. Johnson on 12/19/2009 at 12:36 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

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