What are you doing to protect Michigan's waters?

Our Answer

Protecting Michigan’s waters is vitally important. So is an uninterrupted supply of reliable, affordable energy that Michigan needs. That’s why we’re making a $500-million private investment in Michigan to build the Great Lakes Tunnel, deep under the Straits of Mackinac, to house Line 5.

The Great Lakes Tunnel will be bored through rock, as much as 100 feet below the lake bed—and it will make a safe pipeline even safer, virtually eliminating the chance of a pipeline incident in the Straits.

Line 5 has operated without incident at the Straits for more than 65 years, through a large suite of preventative measures to protect this critically important waterway. They include:

• Diligent, 24/7 monitoring of the crossing, using both specially trained staff and sophisticated computer monitoring systems
• Regular inspections, using inline tools, expert divers, and remote operating vehicles (ROVs).
• Operating the line at less than 25 per cent of its maximum design capabilities, to minimize stress on the pipeline steel and enhance safety.
• Supporting the Line 5 crossing’s extraordinary design and construction standards with proactive and robust maintenance.

And while work goes on underground, on the Great Lakes Tunnel, we’re harnessing technology by adding a trio of extra safeguards at the Straits—which will further reduce the risk of an anchor strike in the interim:

• A sophisticated communications system identifies shipping vessels and reminds them of the no-anchor zone in the Straits.
• Hi-res cameras will monitor ship traffic around the clock, acting as an early-warning network.
• During the open-water season, two support vessels patrol the Straits 24/7, using infrared technology to confirm all large ship anchors are stowed.