Reservation pipeline removal starts soon

The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Enbridge are moving forward with the planned removal of deactivated sections of Line 3 and Line 4 from the Fond du Lac Reservation beginning this month.

The project removes deactivated sections of pipe and restores the land to its natural state, making it more accessible to tribal members.

Native-owned union contractor Gordon Construction is leading the work along with a team largely made up of Native and tribally owned subcontractors. Enbridge said in a news release that it expects removal and restoration work to continue through the end of the year.

The work is part of the final phases of the Line 3 Replacement Project which was completed and placed into service Oct. 1, 2021. It included crossing the northeast portion of Carlton County.

Line 4 was installed above ground in the 1970s because above-grade installation through wetland areas was a common practice then. Fond du Lac Band had raised concerns that the segment created a barrier to the natural water flow across the Reservation and, in some areas, impeded land access for the Band members to gather medicinal plants and other culturally important resources.

Enbridge and Fond du Lac Band agreed that the concerns could be addressed by replacement, relocation, and burial of the Enbridge line, followed by removal and deactivation of the above-grade line.