Breaking: Enbridge Drills under Silver Creek, first Hydraulic Directional Drill Assault on the Bad River Watershed.

Jun 15, 2026 | News stories, Updates

Drilling activity occurs under Silver Creek

Drone photographs taken on June 12, 2026 show the fist Horizontal Directional Drilling event of the Line 5 reroute. Contracted out to Michel’s Construction, this event is the first of 12 bores under 23 sensitive waterways flowing into the Bad River Watershed. A citizen monitor, posting to a grassroots monitoring database WatchLine5.com, shared pictures of the likely completed activity with an accompanying note: 

“Completed HDD destruction. Likely started early last week and finished today (06/12/2026). Horizontal Directional Drill appears to have started on the east side of Silver Creek and fished on the west side of Highway C, where there is equipment, water trucks, and pipes being welded.”  

Community monitoring images are available at https://airtable.com/appv2wvBEYWIDzDH1/shrs8E5U5bu1jVf4z/tbld7hLfYxOb0DFy8. Photos attached show evidence of Enbridge’s drilling activities underneath the Silver Creek.

This above photo documents the Horizontal Direct Drilling machine (a white and red piece of machinery) at the center of one of the drill pads, several feet removed from one of the bore hole. At the site of the bore hole, the newly installed pipe is visible. The drilling equipment was moved shortly after these photos were taken.

The above photo shows the opposite drill pad, covered in matting, with drilling equipment emerging from the ground. It is not publicly known if this drilling activity resulted in an ‘inadvertent release’ of toxic chemicals to Silver Creek, though monitors will continue to watch for signs of environmental damage.

These construction activities result in intense ecological harm. The installation of matting destroys habitat and remove carbon sinks. Additionally, many trees need to be cleared to perform a Horizontal Direct Drill, on the entry and exit points of the drill as well as along the access roads built to transport equipment into the drill site.

Enbridge’s recent history of Frac outs during the Line 3 project

HDD machines use special drilling fluid in their operation called “drilling mud.” Though the exact composition of this material is unknown, Enbridge claims the fluid is comprised mostly of bentonite clay, with additives which, according to the Environmental Impact Statement, “are listed on the DNR’s Approved Horizontal Directional Drilling Products List.” On this list includes four materials which contain “proprietary ingredients,” meaning even if Enbridge’s claim is true, the public is not privy to the ingredients of all possible additives in the fluid. Drilling fluid is known to escape the bore hole during the drilling process, in events called “frac outs.” 

According to the Line 3 citizen monitoring group Waadookawaad Amikwag (Those Who Help Beaver, in Ojibwe), “Enbridge reported frac-outs at 67% of their HDD crossings and water protectors identified additional sites that might be un-reported frac-outs.” These frac outs documented during the construction of Line 3 resulted in the Minnesota DNR issuing Enbridge a $3.3 million fine, while drilling fluid impacts the land for generations to come. 

Enbridge spilled drilling fluid 28 times at 12 river crossings in the summer of 2021 during the construction of their Line 3 pipeline expansion project, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The largest of these officially documented spills was 6,000 – 9,000 gallons of fluid released into a sensitive Minnesota wetland ecosystem. Acknowledgement of those ‘inadvertent releases’ of toxic drilling slurry was only possible due to the work of diligent citizen scientists and community monitors who noticed the spills first. 

Enbridge subcontractor Michel’s construction’s attempted to sign a contract with the city of Ashland for the sale of water for use in their drilling efforts. Substantial public opposition at city council and public works meetings led to no signing of a contract allowing such water use from the Ashland city council in February 2026, or after. Despite the lack of contract to sell water between Ashland and Michel’s construction, community monitors have witnessed water trucks filling at Ashland Water Utility facilities. The community deserves a clear answer to the question of where Enbridge is getting water to supply these drilling sites.

Ongoing Court Case

Line 5 Construction is in full swing despite a partial court-ordered stoppage, and the unresolved status of their ongoing court case. The Bad River Band and Midwest Environmental Advocates filed petitions for judicial review of the pipeline’s permits. The federal government pressured a US district Judge to stay his order of a permanent injunction on oil flowing through Bad River by June 2026 – the resolution of Bad River’s win against Enbridge trespassing on their sovereign territory. Enbridge is now legally allowed to continue to operate the existing pipeline through the reservation until the Seventh Circuit court resolves appeals on the case sometime this summer.

The Bayfield County court ruled on parts of those petitions in Mid-May. WPR summarized the decision: 

“Canadian energy firm Enbridge can keep building a new stretch of its Line 5 oil and gas pipeline in northern Wisconsin except in waterways where the company needs additional permits, a Bayfield County judge ruled Friday…Under the ruling, Enbridge can’t move ahead with construction of permanent structures to stabilize banks in four creeks where erosion could threaten water quality or exposure of new pipe that would be installed.” 

Enbridge, in their own promotional material, has indicated that they will continue construction of the entirety of the rest of the pipeline. The company gambles with the possibility of not receiving their permits with the tacit understanding that they will be able to successfully maneuver their case in the the legal system.

The partial stay on construction means that they can do construction as planned, all along the reroute, excepting the 4 locations where “permanent stabilization measures” are needed at water crossings. These kinds of stabilization measures require permitting since they can have dramatic impacts on waterways, which are a public good. The four streams that need individual permits are Bay City Creek, Bear Trap Creek, Little Bear Creek, and an unnamed tributary of the Brunswiller River. Up until June 15th, 92 of the navigable waterways the new pipeline route will cross will have prohibitions on work: those restrictions are to protect spawning fish. 

Weekend of Art and Resistance Reportback

Jun 13, 2026 | Updates

Local Residents and Water Protectors gather in the Chequamegon Bay for weekend of art & resistance to Enbridge’s Line 5 construction
Ashland, WI — On June 5-7, Locals directly affected by Enbridge’s Line 5 reroute project, as well as people connected through water from around the Great Lakes Region and Northern Wisconsin, gathered to share art, engage in discussion, and voice their opposition to the project, which risks permanent damage to local ecosystems and communities.

On Friday, June 5th, community members gathered at Stone Soup in Ashland, WI for the launch of “For the Love of Water,” an art show featuring the work of local artists resisting the Line 5 Reroute project. People of all ages shared stories of resistance at the event, resonating with the messages of the artist’s work. Artists’ work will be up on display at Stone Soup through the end of July. Featured artists include Bomgiizhik (Isaac Murdoch), Melanie Ariens, Dio Cramer, Michael D’Ambrosio, Shea Schachameyer, Susan Simensky Bietila, the Spill Paint Not Oil Art Collective, the Chequamegon Bay Water Protectors, and more.

On the morning of Saturday, June 6th, graffiti proclaiming “ENBRIDGE LIES, ASHLAND TAKES THE BAIT” was found on two unused billboards in downtown Ashland overlooking Lake Shore Drive. The graffiti references Ashland County’s approval of recieving money from the Enbridge Corporation to fund their sheriff’s department.
Later that day, in celebration of Pride Month, Water Protectors held a table at the Ironwood Pride with a Zine-share and Screen-Printing event.

On Sunday evening, June 7th, puppeteers showcased “And Again, The Waters Speak,” a community-built puppet show about colonial wounds and building connections across the Great Lakes, from Chicago to the Enbridge Line 5 reroute through the ceded territories of the Anishinaabe people.

Conversations over the weekend shed light on how community members feel the impacts of Line 5 and do not approve of Enbridge’s willingness to force its way through the land. Landowners shared stories of being kept awake all night by the sound of machinery as their lands are ravaged, how they are paid to host workers in RVs on their land and to install security cameras along the pipeline easement, and how Enbridge’s machinery is blocking local roads and isolating them.

This last story is particularly ominous as the community braces for hundreds of out-of-town pipeline workers to descend. Although community remains steadfast in the belief that there’s power in standing up in the face of harm like they’re experiencing together. We’ll keep fighting back in all the ways available to us while continuing to center care and our relationships with one another.

New Drone Footage Submitted

May 28, 2026 | Updates

Check out the new drone footage submitted to the Observations page. To see the most recent observations, sort by date, “latest to earliest.”

Here are some especially notable videos of drone footage:

  • Mellen Yard off of Hwy 13, at Point 106 from 5/9/2026–footage
  • Gurney Pipe Yard, off of 196, at Point 93 from 5/9/2026– footage
  • Gurney Equiptment Road, off of Potato River Road and Hwy 169, from 5/9/2026– footage

New Report: PHMSA’s Pipeline Safety Records Show a Failure to Prevent Ruptures and Enforce the Law

May 9, 2026 | Updates

A new report –prepared for the Great Lakes Business Network by the University of Michigan Law School—Environmental Law & Sustainability Clinic– about federal pipeline oversight by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is very concerning.
The study analyzed all Notice of Proposed Safety Orders (NOPSO) since 2010. NOPSOs are used by the administration “to notify an operator that a particular pipeline facility has a condition or conditions that pose a pipeline integrity risk to public safety, property, or the environment.”
The findings show an “alarming track record, revealing that the agency is largely reactive rather than proactive in enforcement, requiring pipeline operators to follow regulations only after ruptures, leaks, and failures have already occurred.”

Read the full report here.

North Country Trail Construction Alert

North Country Trail Construction Alert

May 4, 2026 | Updates

See image for map. Full text beloow.

Enbridge has begun their Line 5 Segment Relocation project that intersects the NCT in the Mellen / Copper Falls to Gurney area (MM 171.25, MM 185-186.5, and MM 200.5-202.5; map: https://arcg.is/bPuSX2). They have coordinated with the NCTA to minimize impacts to the NCT and NCT hikers.

Enbridge has already cleared trees on the pipeline corridor and expects to start construction activity beginning this May (2026). NCT users can expect heavy construction traffic on Vogues Road, which is also an access road for reaching the NCT. Temporary NCT detours / closures may be possible as blasting will be used near MM 186.25.

The NCT in the Wren Falls area is best accessed via Casey Sag Road (off of Hwy 77) to Sullivan Forest Road to Wren Falls Road (map: https://arcgis.is/1aKzWv0).

Learn more about the project at https://www.enbridge.com/projects-and-infrastructure/public-awareness/line-5-wisconsin-segment-relocation-project.

If you have NCT-related questions in the area, contact the Heritage Chapter at htg@northcountrytrail.org.