As much as 800 gallons of dielectric fluid could spill into the straits of Mackinac from two broken power lines, according to the Coast Guard.
Efforts are underway to remove the remaining fluid from two power lines that began leaking sometime Monday morning.
The lines, owned by the American Transmission Company, have so far leaked an estimated 600 gallons of the fluid. At the time of their break officials say as much as four thousand gallons were in the lines.
Lieutenant Sean Murphy is with the Coast Guard. He said no oil is known to be leaking and the responsible company is currently vacuuming oil from the lines.
“This is a slow process, we want to make sure we get this right and we monitor it to make sure we aren’t causing any damage and mitigate any negative effects on the environment.”
Murphy said so far American Transmission Company has only removed 10% of the fluid from one line.
“On it’s own it has low toxicity but with its release into the water it will be diluted in the straits.”
Murphy said the fluid poses a low risk to fisheries and wildlife.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story indicated the Coast Guard was exploring methods of deterring birds from the area to keep them from coming into contact with fluid on top of the water. The Coast Guard has not detected any signs of pollution and there is no sheen on top of the water. The Coast Guard is trying to keep birds away from the water in case of potential contact with dielectric fluid, or from diving into the water and coming into contact with the fluid there.