COLDWATER (WTVB) - State Representative Ken Kurtz says he’s been told that there’s no threat to any rivers or groundwater in northern Branch County from this week’s huge crude oil spill in the Marshall area where dozens of homeowners were advised yesterday to evacuate because of rising concerns over air quality. Kurtz attended a briefing with other state lawmakers yesterday in Calhoun County.

While the oil is slowly disappearing, the danger is escalating as the petroleum breaks down and seeps into the environment. Jim Rutherford with the Calhoun County Health Department will ask the occupants of 30 to 50 homes to the north and northwest of the spill area to evacuate for their own safety. He says long term exposure to benzene gas looks like it will be a real possibility.

Enbridge Energy has come under fire over allegations that they did not respond quickly enough to the oil spill into the Kalamazoo River. Congressman Mark Schauer says they failed to report the spill to the National Response Center for three and a half hours after identifying a problem. Calling the company's actions "negligent," he says the company initially had a truck out to the area Sunday evening at the same time 911 calls about a gas odor in the area was reported. He accuses the company of downplaying estimates of how much oil was spilled, saying he believes it could actually be anywhere from two to three-million gallons.