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Crude and NGL PipelineInvestigation ongoing

Enbridge Line 5

645-mile, 30-inch crude and NGL line from Superior, Wisconsin to Sarnia, Ontario, in service since 1953. An August 25, 2026 NGL release of about 33,000 barrels at a valve excavation near Saxon, Wisconsin shut the line; it returned to service in mid-September on a temporary bypass the Wisconsin DNR says lacked state approval. PHMSA is investigating.

Record verified against WPR via Wisconsin Watch, 2026-09-27 (Enbridge accident report, PHMSA corrective action order). Tracked since 2026-09.

Coverage 17

  1. Enbridge begins removing tested soil from the Iron County excavation

    Enbridge said soils from the construction excavation are being tested, removed and sent for disposal, and that air monitoring and monitoring wells have shown no contamination outside the site. The Wisconsin DNR maintains the bypass work began without state approvals; Enbridge says it followed PHMSA-approved procedures.

    WXPR

  2. Accident report puts the release at 33,000 barrels and $15.1 million; PHMSA order cites an unattended truck left in neutral

    Enbridge's accident report to PHMSA estimates costs of at least $15.1 million and a release of about 33,000 barrels of NGLs, 165 recovered, and says leak detection did not trigger because the line was shut within three minutes. A PHMSA corrective action order states preliminary findings that the tractor trailer was left temporarily unattended in neutral on a slope before the failure; PHMSA's investigation, including metallurgical analysis by Stress Engineering Services, continues.

    WPR via Wisconsin Watch

  3. DNR update: truck and damaged pipe removed; agency still weighing response to unpermitted work

    The Wisconsin DNR said state and federal crews are sampling soil and nearby waterways, the truck and the damaged pipe section have been removed, and DNR and Enbridge staff meet daily until excavation is complete. The DNR said it continues to evaluate options in response to Enbridge's unpermitted construction at the site.

    Northern News Now

  4. Bad River Band declares a disaster and calls for shutdown; DNR noncompliance letter says bypass proceeded without permits

    Tribal leaders formally declared a disaster over the August 25 rupture, the largest recorded NGL spill in Wisconsin history, saying a first meeting with the DNR left their questions unanswered and that the tribe has been denied its own monitoring access. Earthjustice cited the DNR's September 9 notice of noncompliance stating Enbridge proceeded without permits on the bypass now carrying the restarted line, which Enbridge disputes.

    Northern News NowWisconsin DNR letter

  5. Enbridge restarts Line 5 on the unpermitted bypass

    Enbridge said Line 5 was operational again on September 14 via a temporary bypass, ending the shutdown that began August 25, per WXPR. The restart proceeded despite the DNR's position that the bypass lacked proper permits and after the agency said Enbridge caused additional discharges during construction.

    WXPR

  6. Wisconsin DNR issues noncompliance notice; Enbridge builds on toward a September 12 restart

    The DNR told Enbridge to halt bypass construction, issuing a notice of noncompliance for starting work without required state approvals and saying it may consider enforcement action. Enbridge continued construction and says the bypass remains on track for a September 12 return to service; the state now sizes the August 25 release at about 1.3 million gallons, the largest reported oil and gas pipeline spill in Wisconsin history.

    WPRWisconsin ExaminerThe Daily Reporter

  7. Transparency dispute widens over site access and water testing

    Advocates, tribal leaders and pipeline safety experts said a federal agency was withholding the Saxon spill site from state and local officials with no unified command formed, per WXPR, and DNR Secretary Hyun wrote that Enbridge caused additional discharges since her August letter. Enbridge's September 9 update kept the bypass on track for a September 12 restart; public confirmation of an actual restart is outstanding.

    WXPR

  8. Michigan governor urges shutdown as Straits tunnel permits come under review

    Governor Whitmer wrote Enbridge's CEO calling Line 5 a 'ticking time bomb' and urging alternatives to the Straits tunnel, while Michigan regulators review recently granted tunnel permits after a state Supreme Court decision raised environmental review standards. Enbridge said the Wisconsin bypass remains on schedule for a September 12 return to service.

    ClickOnDetroitWKZOEnbridge statements

  9. Restart window passes; Enbridge builds a 1,500-foot bypass and targets September 12

    The September 6-8 return-to-service window closed without a restart. Enbridge's September 6 and 7 updates disclose a temporary bypass of approximately 1,500 feet under 24/7 construction around the release site, with return to service anticipated September 12; the flatbed truck remains onsite pending investigations.

    Enbridge incident statement

  10. Restart window opens; residual liquid down to about 140 barrels

    Enbridge's September 5 update reports liquid remaining in the excavation reduced to approximately 140 barrels, from about 2,000 on August 29, as compressed air injection continues. The September 6-8 return-to-service window is open; WPR reports Enbridge hopes to restore service by Tuesday, September 8, and no restart confirmation had posted through the weekend.

    Enbridge incident statementWisconsin Public Radio (via Urban Milwaukee)

  11. First water results show no impact; compressed air by day, nitrogen and flaring by night; restart window holds at September 6-8

    Enbridge's September 3 update reports that surface water and a nearby residential well samples show no impact from the NGL release, with monitoring wells installed and testing continuing. Crews inject compressed air into the excavation during controlled daytime entries and continue nitrogen purge and flaring on the isolated segment overnight; the September 6-8 return-to-service goal is unchanged.

  12. Restart window moves to September 6-8; compressed air replaces flaring at the excavation; DHS reviews air data

    Enbridge began injecting compressed air into the remaining product on September 2, installed water monitoring wells, and moved its return-to-service goal from September 5 to September 6-8. Wisconsin DHS found no health concern outside the evacuation zone but an elevated long-term benzene risk inside it; reroute construction resumed after the stand-down and the DNR still lacks PHMSA authorization to enter the site.

  13. Flaring continues; Wisconsin DNR says PHMSA has not yet authorized state staff on site

    Enbridge's September 1 update reports continued nitrogen purge and flaring on the isolated one-mile segment, exclusion and no-fly zones in place, and a September 5 restart target. A DNR spokesperson said the agency is encouraged by the stand-down but cannot assess environmental impact until PHMSA admits state staff; Enbridge has begun surface water sampling.

  14. 48-hour safety stand-down begins; line still shut with September 5 restart target

    Enbridge paused reroute construction for a 48-hour stand-down and continued nitrogen purge and flaring of the isolated one-mile segment. The company says it is working toward restoring service by September 5, and a PHMSA investigator has been deployed.

  15. Enbridge estimates 31,000 barrels vaporized; flaring plan announced

    The operator put the release at about 31,000 barrels of mainly propane and butane dispersed to atmosphere, with roughly 2,000 barrels of liquid contained in the excavation. Trailer-mounted flare stacks were staged to burn off remaining vapor.

  16. Wisconsin DNR asks Enbridge to halt reroute construction

    DNR Secretary Karen Hyun wrote that the agency is deeply concerned by the release and asked Enbridge to pause the Bad River reroute until prevention measures are demonstrated, listing more than 20 open questions. PHMSA is lead agency on site and DNR staff had not been given site access.

  17. Line 5 shut after NGL release at a valve project excavation in Iron County, Wisconsin

    Enbridge says a parked, unoccupied subcontractor truck rolled into an open excavation and struck the exposed pipe, releasing natural gas liquids; the segment was isolated and the line shut. One rural home was evacuated and no injuries were reported.

From the public record

  1. 1953-01-01

    Line 5 enters service. Superior to Sarnia across northern Wisconsin and Michigan.

  2. 2019-07-23

    Bad River Band sues Enbridge over expired easements. Suit seeks removal of the 12-mile reservation segment.

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