Community members got the chance to talk with Enbridge Energy experts Thursday evening at the Milton Township Hall.

More than 20 residents participated and had the opportunity to learn about how the company handles public safety, pipeline integrity, emergency response and the locations of pipelines and types of oil used.

A network of Enbridge pipelines webs through Berrien and Cass counties.

Ryan Duffy, an Enbridge spokesperson, said the Canada-based company would be hosting five informational sessions throughout the month at various locations in Michigan.

“We just want to meet with our Michigan neighbors and talk to them and address their questions and concerns,” Duffy said.

The company also reflected on past incidents that they said have helped to shape today’s improved safety features.

One such occurrence was the Line 6B incident. In 2010, the pipeline leaked, creating a spill disaster that occurred just outside of Marshall, Michigan. Since 2012, a company spokesperson said Enbridge has spent $37.8 billion in safety features including maintenance, inspection and leak detection.

To prevent future unknowns in pipe conditions, employees now mobilize robots that can travel the length of a pipe and detect three of pipeline’s biggest integrity threats: cracking, corrosion and denting, said Enbridge employee Millan Sen, of Edmonton, Canada.

With this tool, Enbridge employees know the size, length and location of even hairline cracks.

The robots are nicknamed “smart pigs,” because they travel through the pipes, making a squealing sound.

The machines are used during integrity inspection, which happen at least every five years. The findings can help to determine when the company needs to do their next inspection.

At least two residents who attended the session were interested in pipeline integrity and how it applied to Enbridge’s pipeline that in the Mackinac Straight.

Former Niles resident Michael Stoll is part of the Les Cheneaux Watershed Council in northern Michigan. He now lives in Bristol, Indiana, and said he attended the session to see if Enbridge was taking the proper precautions to protect the Mackinac environment.

“I do not have much concern down here [in Niles] this line is all buried and well monitored,” Stoll said. “There is a lot of close responders and so on.”

Stoll said he was concerned about the age of the Mackinac pipeline.

“We [the Les Cheneaux] are concerned about our watershed up there [northern Michigan],” Stoll said. “Should the pipeline break like what happened in Marshall, we are out of luck.”

Attending the session helped to ease some of his initial concerns, Stoll said.

In response to Stoll, Duffy said that the 64-year-old Mackinac line has not been replaced, because it does not need to be.

“There is no life span,” Duffy said. “If you put a piece of infrastructure like that there is no expiration date as long as you maintain it and watch it and inspect it. It is still in good shape.”

If an incident does occur, residents who know what to look for can be better prepared to spot damage and potentially minimize it, said Emma Cook, the company’s public affairs liquids operations employee.

Cook shared with residents how to spot a potential leak using their senses.

The company also met with emergency responders to share ways that they could work together to prevent issues.

Niles Fire Chief Larry Lamb said these types of sessions are always informative.

“Obviously there are all kinds of potential issues,” Lamb said. “The more we understand about what our role is and how we integrate with their role the better off we are.”