The Kalamazoo River oil spill occurred in July 2010 when a pipeline operated by Enbridge ( Line 6B ) burst and flowed into Talmadge Creek , a tributary of the Kalamazoo River . A six-foot break in the pipeline resulted in the largest inland oil spill , and one of the costliest spills in U.S. history . The pipeline carries diluted bitumen ( dilbit ) , a heavy crude oil from Canada 's Athabasca oil sands to the United States . Following the spill , the volatile hydrocarbon diluents evaporated , leaving the heavier bitumen to sink in the water column . Thirty-five miles of the Kalamazoo River were closed for clean-up until June 2012 , when portions of the river were re-opened . On March 14 , 2013 , the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) ordered Enbridge to return to dredge portions of the river to remove submerged oil and oil-contaminated sediment
Kalamazoo River oil spill
Kalamazoo River oil spill
Calhoun County, Michigan