trouble

Last week there was a petroleum spill on a Midwestern site I've worked on for a number of years. It's not a restoration site, at least not yet, although it does have remnant natural communities and at least two federally listed species present.

The spill happened when a buried petroleum pipeline in a highway right-of-way ruptured. My information remains incomplete at this time, but at least some material got through a culvert and into at least one small wetland on the edge of the site. As far as I know, the spill isn't extensive in area, it's a tiny part of a moderately large site.

Still, it's a cautionary reminder that those sorts of risks exist, and it's worth knowing what runs through or adjacent to a site being considered for future effort.