Canadian oil giant Enbridge Energy agreed to pay the state of Michigan $75 million to restore a waterway contaminated in 2010 by 800,000 gallons of oil — one of the largest inland spills in U.S. history.
The settlement comes a week after the company settled in a separate class action lawsuit over damages to local residents as a result of the spill, with compensation including pre-paid gift cards and additional payments for some living near the contaminated area.
An Enbridge pipeline ruptured on July 26, 2010, near Battle Creek, Michigan, contaminating a 40-mile stretch of the nearby Kalamazoo River. Residual oil has remained in the river despite Enbridge’s $1 billion cleanup. In some areas, if the riverbed is disturbed, pockets of oil still float to the surface, according to local residents.
As part of a settlement filed Tuesday in Calhoun County, Enbridge will be required to continue monitoring the impacts of the spill. It will also spend $75 million on projects including improved access to boating and fishing on the river, and rehabilitating 300 acres of wetlands.