Cold weather slows oil spill recovery efforts in northern Kansas

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Oil recovery operations have slowed somewhat at the Keystone pipeline spill site along Mill Creek in Washington Co.

Kellen Ashford, a spokesperson from the Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday that the extreme cold weather took a toll on some of the equipment. They could not immediately elaborate on what was impacted.

Even so, nearly 730,000 gallons of oil-water mixture has been collected from Mill Creek. The EPA says it will continue to oversee and monitor the clean-up actions.

Ashford said the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks also is on hand, working with TC Energy and federal, state, and private partners to identify wildlife in the affected area and how they have been impacted.

“While KDWP staff can confirm select fish, mussels, and mammals have been impacted, it is still too early to determine the extent,” Ashford told 13 NEWS in an email. “Agency crews will continue daily monitoring of wildlife impacts as containment efforts allow.”

As of two weeks ago, the EPA had confirmed four mammals and at least 71 fish had been killed as a result of the spill.

The last update from TC Energy, which owns the pipeline, came last Friday. It indicated federal regulators had approved their plan to restart the Cushing segment of the pipeline.

The Dec. 8 leak about 20 miles south of the Nebraska border spilled some 14,000 barrels of oil into the Mill Creek area.