Oil leak from pipe near Chicago slowing: US

The leak from an oil pipeline near Chicago appears to be slowing, and officials are hopeful they would be able to excavate the site soon to determine the cause and exact location of the break.

But Environmental Protecion Agency on-site coordinator Sam Borries says how much oil has spilled and when the leak began remains unclear.

The leak was discovered Thursday, and on Friday between 200 and 600 barrels of oil were being recovered each hour, said . A barrel has 42 gallons.

Borries said that oil was no longer rising to the surface Saturday and crews cut open pavement and dug about 5 feet to reach the 34-inch diametre pipe.

Pipeline owner Enbridge Energy will drill through the top of the pipe to extract remaining oil.
 

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