FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIENDS OF THE KAW RESPONDS TO KEYSTONE PIPELINE OIL SPILL IN THE KANSAS RIVER WATERSHED
LAWRENCE, KS (December 9, 2022) – Friends of the Kaw (FOK) was notified that the Keystone Pipeline spilled about 14,000 barrels or 600,000 gallons of crude oil into the Kansas River watershed on Wednesday evening, December 7, 2022, at about 8:00 PM CST. The Keystone Pipeline spilled into Mill Creek, just north of Washington, Kansas. This creek drains into the Little Blue River, then to the Big Blue River where its waters are held in Tuttle Creek Reservoir before being released to the Kansas River. We do not yet know how many miles of river this covers.
Commissioned in 2010, the Keystone Pipeline carries oil in Canada and the United States, and is owned by TC Energy and the Government of Alberta. The pipeline travels across the entire state of Kansas from near Washington, Kansas in the north to just west of Arkansas City, Kansas in the south. It crosses many rivers and streams along its path. The spill occurred very near Mill Creek and has completely inundated the creek with oil. We suspect many fish and wildlife have been lost as this creek is host to numerous concentrations of birds, fish, eagles, and other wildlife. This is of particular concern during the fall migration season. Fish and wildlife are important to Kansans for the quality of life that they bring to our state and the roles they play in our native ecosystems.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has issued a stream advisory for Mill Creek. Both KDHE and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) remediation teams were deployed immediately to the oil spill site. Earthen berms have been constructed and oil booms installed to try to prevent the oil plume from migrating downstream. The Kansas Water Office is monitoring the situation and it appears at this time that no public water systems have been impacted.
Over 61,000 square miles of watershed in Kansas, southern Nebraska, and eastern Colorado drain to the Kansas River, the drinking water source for over 800,000 Kansans and a vital natural resource. This area includes the creek, rivers, and reservoir potentially impacted by this Keystone pipeline spill. While Washington County is seemingly far away from the Kansas River, disasters like this one illustrate how connected the people and places in our watershed truly are.
For the sake of the people and wildlife in Washington County and those living downstream who could be impacted, we urge TC Energy to clean up the entire spill and to take action on any later impacts that may occur as a result of their actions. Thank you to the dedicated teams at KDHE and EPA for responding swiftly.
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Friends of the Kaw serves the Kansas River, the largest prairie-based river system in the world. The Kansas River originates at the junction of the Smoky Hill and Republican Rivers near Junction City, Kansas and runs 173 miles east to meet the Missouri River at Kaw Point in Kansas City, Kansas.
Friends of the Kaw is a member of the global Waterkeeper Alliance. Waterkeeper Alliance strengthens and grows a global network of grassroots leaders protecting everyone’s right to clean water. Our goal is drinkable, fishable, swimmable water everywhere.
For Media Inquiries Please Contact:
Dawn Buehler
Kansas Riverkeeper® & Executive Director
Friends of the Kaw
785.312.7200
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