This document discusses wetland and stream restoration techniques used following an oil spill from Enbridge's Line 6B pipeline into Talmadge Creek and the Kalamazoo River in Marshall, Michigan in July 2010. Design concepts included creating representative cross sections, assessing shear stresses and plant communities, and using coir logs, backfill, seed mixes, and other materials. Implementation involved restoring creek banks and installing structures like rock chutes, ramps, and wildlife habitat features. Post-restoration monitoring showed regrowth of vegetation and stabilization of restored areas over time. Unique techniques addressed heavy groundwater flows and unconsolidated soils.

1. Wetland and Stream Restoration
Techniques Following Emergency
Wetland and Stream Restoration
Response Actions to the Line 6B Oil Leak in
TechniquesMichigan
Marshall, Following
Emergency Response Actions to
the Line 6B Oil Leak in Marshall,
Michigan
Ecological Consulting Native Plant Nursery
Restoration Services Cultural Resource Management

2. Background
•Failure of approximately 5 feet
of 30” steel pipe
•On July 26th Enbridge’s Line 6B
released approximately 843,000
gallons of Canadian crude oil;
approximately 337,0000 gallons
reached Talmadge Creek and
the Kalamazoo River
•Both watercourses were at
flood stage at the time of the
incident, pushing oil into the
contiguous floodplains and
wetlands

3. Incident/Project Area

4. Talmadge Creek

5. Timeline
Text Line 6B release: July 26
JFNew Site Visit
JFNew Contacted
Begin restoration
Target restoration
date (EPA order)

6. End of July 2010

7. September 2010

8. September 2010

9. September 2010

10. October 2010

11. Design Concepts
•Created representative
cross sections
•Calculated shear stresses
throughout stream (0.7-1.5
lbs/sf) at flood stage
•Assess and match soils
•Assess plant communities
and create appropriate
native seed mixes
•Considered market
availability of materials,
construction sequencing,
and ability to rapidly install

12. Design Concept
•Coir logs
•Backfill
•Seed
•NAG C-125BN
•Have surveyors stake pre-remediation bankfull mark based
on original survey

13. Design Concept – Soils

14. Controlling Flow/Sediment Transport
Creek Flume
(“creek in a bag”)
Inverted weir

15. Implementation

16. Implementation

17. Implementation

18. Implementation

19. Implementation
Talmadge Creek

20. Implementation
Talmadge Creek

21. Implementation

22. Post-restoration

23. Post-restoration

24. Post-restoration

26. Post-restoration
Summer 2011
Fall 2010

27. Design Concept – Soils

28. Post-restoration (Open areas)
Aug 2010

29. Post-restoration (Open areas)
Nov 2010

30. Post-restoration (Open areas)
July 2011

31. Post-restoration (Open areas)
Aug 2010

32. Post-restoration (Open areas)
Nov 2010
July 2011

33. Post-restoration (Open areas)
July 2011

34. Groundwater
Indirectly – subsurface
discharging into creek
Directly discharging
into creek

35. Unique Techniques
• Required to
address unique
situations
Heavy
groundwater
flows
Unconsolidated
soils

36. Rock Chutes
Early Spring 2011
Fall 2010

37. Rock Chutes
July 2011
Nov. 2010

38. Vegetative Mats
Proposed 2012
(if necessary)

39. Rock Ramps
• Creates
riffles
• Increases
habitat
diversity
• Enables
deposition
on upstream
ends of
culverts

40. Wildlife Habitat Structures
Fall 2010
Fall 2010

41. Wildlife Habitat Structures
July 2011
Nov. 2010

42. Stu Kogge
stu.kogge@cardno.com
517-898-9018
Indianapolis, IN Walkerton, IN Cincinnati, OH Chicago, IL
Grand Haven, MI Ann Arbor, MI Madison, WI Lansing, MI

43. The Cardno
Family of
Companies

44. No. of
Staff
270 410 550 1,100 1,500 2,400 2,850 3,350 3,650 4,600 6,000+
1945 1999 2002 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
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