Cleanup & Monitoring

From the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

In the 30+ years since the Bemidji, Minnesota, oil spill, USGS has learned a lot about clean-up efforts and monitoring. In fact, we have managed to pioneer a fairly cost-effective, but still efficient, method of monitoring contamination in aquifers as a result.

The Bemidji spill is particularly difficult to clean up and monitor because the crude oil ended up in an aquifer deep underground. The oil also has gotten into pore spaces in the rock, making it hard to get it out.

A cleanup effort is estimated to have removed about 36-41% of the oil by 2003, so there’s still a ways to go. Read more: http://on.doi.gov/1yhYVWS Image shows USGS scientists monitoring the crude oil in the aquifer, courtesy of Jared Trost, USGS.