Pin-sized hole shuts down Michigan pipeline

Enbridge officials said there was no damage to the environment after a pin hole-sized defect was found on a Michigan pipeline transporting natural gas.

The hole on Line 5, an Enbridge pipeline in Manistique, Michigan, was discovered on Dec. 8, shutting the line down.

An official with Enbridge said during a regular inspection, a dime-size stain was found on a weld on Line 5.

The line was shut down as a precaution and has since been repaired.

Enbridge said the actual release of natural gas was too small to measure.

"Our maintenance program detected even this minor irregularity, indicating the ability of our program to maintain Line 5 pipeline integrity,” said Trent Wetmore, general manager of Enbridge's Superior Region in a statement. 

“This is a clear example of how we are working to identify and repair anomalies before there is any impact to the environment or those who live and work along our pipelines.”

In July 2010, an Enbridge pipeline carrying oil from Griffith, Ind. to Sarnia, Ont., leaked more than three million litres of oil into a creek in southwestern Michigan, endangering birds and other wildlife.

A ruptured section of that pipeline, known as the Lakehead System, shut the line down for two months.