By Canadian Press

Flooding has pushed Wisconsin’s Bad River closer to Line 5 pipeline: court documents

May 2, 2023 | 8:26 AM

WASHINGTON — Heavy flooding throughout the U.S. Midwest has pushed the edge of the Bad River in Wisconsin ever closer to the controversial Line 5 pipeline. 

Court documents filed Monday show the river overtopped its banks twice last month for a total of nine days, washing away some 2.5 metres of terrain at its closest point. 

The Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa is in court to force the pipeline’s owner, Enbridge Inc., to redirect the line around its territory. 

The band has been arguing that seasonal flooding along the river escalates the risk of a catastrophic failure in a key watershed. 

The current river conditions do not require either a shutdown or a purge of the pipeline, under separate contingency plans submitted by both Enbridge and the band.

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But environmental law group Earthjustice disagrees, saying the line is now just one serious rainstorm away from becoming fully exposed. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2, 2023.

The Canadian Press