EPA Announces Oil Spill Clean-Up Complete

By Gordon HopkinsMill Creek, impacted by the oil spill near Washington, Kansas, in December 2022, is once again flowing naturally after EPA Region 7 confirmed that the removal of oil was complete during a final visual inspection of the creek completed on Friday, Oct. 13, 2023.” That is according to a recent press release from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).On December 7, 2022, a portion of the Keystone pipeline system, ruptured south of where it crosses Mill Creek, northeast of Washington, Kansas, and approximately 20 miles south of Steele City. The resulting oil leak dumped an estimated 12,937 barrels of crude oil into Mill Creek.EPA Region 7 on-scene coordinators (OSCs) were deployed to the scene after the initial National Response Center (NRC) report on Dec. 8, 2022, to oversee oil containment and recovery operations. During the bulk oil recovery phase, operations were performed 24/7. This phase was completed on Jan. 29, 2023.Following substantial construction and engineering projects, response personnel were able to access submerged oil impacts in Mill Creek. Oil recovery within Mill Creek continued until May 11, 2023, when response crews shifted their focus to stream restoration.On June 29, 2023, TC Energy, the company formerly known as TransCanada, which owns and operates the Keystone Pipeline, announced that shoreline clean-up of the oil spill had been completed.Oil-Contaminated DirtAccording to the EPA, staff worked more than 6,000 hours and took over 83 trips to the scene. EPA personnel from Regions 3, 5, and 6 supported Region 7, along with staff from the U.S. Coast Guard – Atlantic Strike Team, “In total, more than 54 million gallons of contaminated surface water were treated and discharged back into Mill Creek. Over 650,000 gallons of oil were recovered, including product remaining in the pipeline following the rupture. Approximately 200,000 tons of oil-impacted soil, sediment, and debris were excavated and sent off-site for disposal.”That oil-contaminated dirt and other wastes were transported to landfills in both Nebraska and Kansas, owned by Waste Management.A spokesperson for Waste Management told FJN that Pheasant Point landfill in Douglas County had received approximately 111,500 cubic yards of Waste and Rolling Meadows Landfill in Kansas has received approximately 19,000 cubic yards of waste.In addition, “clean” dirt from a dig site in Steele City was taken to the spill site to use for the reconstruction. Despite multiple requests from FJN, TC energy has not revealed how much was removed from the Steele City site.Steele City RoadWhile the clean-up is officially completed, some impacts of the clean-up process remain. Most notable of those impacts is damage to the roads between Steele City and the spill site in Kansas.Jefferson County Commissioners estimated more than 100 trucks a day were using that road while transporting dirt to and from the site. While the trucks are no longer running, the damage is done.A deal to repair the road on the Kansas side of the state line is already in place. TC Energy agreed to pay $3,27 million to overlay 14 miles of blacktop road up to the state line.No deal has yet been reached for the road on the Nebraska side of the state line, running through Jefferson County to Steele City. According to Jefferson County Commissioners, an overlay will not suffice. The road must be replaced.TC Energy has agreed verbally to replace the damaged road but commissioners have expressed frustration that a contract is not yet signed.Commissioner Mark Schoenrock noted receiving some pushback after meeting with TC Energy representatives regarding the estimated cost. Schoenrock told his fellow commissioners, “I was really disappointed with their comments about the comparison between Washington County and Jefferson County. How many times do we need to say why there's a cost difference? They totally destroyed our base. They didn't destroy the Washington County base. So, that's why ours costs more.”

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