Enbridge Line 3’s aquifer breaches: A summary

Last updated: Aug. 8, 2023

This post written in collaboration with Waadookawaad Amikwag

Sheet pilings laid out at a Line 3 worksite, June, 2021.

The following summarizes the causes and impacts of aquifer breaches resulting from construction of the Enbridge Line 3 tar sands pipeline. This post will be updated when new information becomes available.

Line 3 construction ended more than 19 months ago, Oct. 1, 2021. State regulators have been slow to announce all the environmental damage that occurred. They say they don’t release information until they finish their investigations.

A volunteer group called Wadookawaad Amikwag (Anishinaabemowin for “Those Who Help Beaver”) has been concerned about state agencies’ seeming lack of urgency and the lack of public information available. Volunteers are investigating on their own.

White Earth Appeals Court dismisses Right of Manoomin suit; Canada tries to sell Indigenous groups the Trans Mountain Pipeline: Buyer Beware!

In this post:

• White Earth Court of Appeals dismisses Rights of Manoomin (wild rice) suit against DNR
• Canadian government’s effort to get First Nations to buy financially troubled Trans Mountain pipeline seems cynical

Manoomin (wild rice) is suing the DNR in White Earth Tribal Court

Manoomin (wild rice), the White Earth Nation, and others are suing the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in White Earth Tribal Court over the DNR’s decision to approve excessive dewatering as part of Enbridge Line 3 pipeline construction.

Those speaking on behalf of Manoomin, the lead plaintiff, said Manoomin requires water to live and thrive and the Line 3 dewatering threatened its very existence during a severe drought.

Enbridge has to clean up water it polluted decades ago in order to use it for Line 3 dewatering

Enbridge’s controversial plans to increase dewatering during Line 3 construction got an added complication: Workers need to dewater in areas where the company had past crude oil spills, leaving 8,400 gallons in ground for decades.

That means Enbridge has to treat the dewatered polluted water before returning it to the environment.

An Executive Order that wasn’t, Capitol Rally to oppose Line 3 dewatering, Shell River Rally, and more

In this blog:

• The Executive Order that wasn’t
• White Earth pushes against Line 3 dewatering increases, Capitol rally Wednesday at 3 p.m.
• Women for the Rivers Rally at Shell River Thursday, noon-3 p.m., with V and Marisa Tomei
• Last push for Line 3 monitors; we need eyes on the Horizontal Directional Drilling sites

Gov. Walz administration fails again at ‘meaningful consultation’ with tribal nations

Enbridge new Line 3’s dewatering plan raises hard questions

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has approved a permit allowing Enbridge to increase its Line 3 trench dewatering by nearly ten fold, up to 5 billion gallons.

The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe has written Gov. Tim Walz requesting he tell the DNR to rescind the permit, “until such time as the Department consults with the White Earth Reservation and all other impacted tribes” as promised in Walz’s 2019 executive order.

“Time of of the essence,” wrote Catherine J. Chavers, President of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.

Line 3’s new dewatering permit raises many questions:

• Why didn’t it trigger Gov. Tim Walz’s executive order requiring meaningful consultation with Native Nations?
• Why is Enbridge requesting such a big increase in dewatering so late in construction?
• Why wasn’t there more public engagement in the process?
• What are the potential environmental harms from increased dewatering?

Line 3 updates: Efforts to bring Interior Secretary Haaland to MN, connecting with frontline resistance camps, and more

In other news, Mendota Dakota apply for federal recognition

In this blog:

• Indigenous women leaders invite Interior Secretary Haaland to visit and Learn about Line 3
• Opportunities to connect with frontline Line 3 resistance camps
• MN House bill would block state funding for Line 3 court challenges
• DNR approves nearly ten-fold increase in Enbridge dewatering plans
• Decoding Line 3 language
• Mendota Dakota apply for federal recognition