By Quinn O’Hara

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has announced the completion of oil clean up and recovery efforts on Mill Creek, finally putting an end to the 11-month long operation. 

On December 8th of 2022, TC Energy reported a pressure drop in a section of the Keystone oil pipeline, near Washington, Kansas. A severe rupture of a crude oil pipe had dumped 588,000 gallons of oil into Mill Creek.

Oil recovery efforts included the building of a dam to prevent any downstream movement of oil, draining affected sections of the stream, and pumping the remaining oil from the creek bed.

More than 54 million gallons of contaminated surface water were treated and returned to the creek, and about 200,000 tons of contaminated sediment and debris was removed for off-site disposal.

Monitoring of the creek’s ecosystem will continue for the next 5 years to assure the successful ecological recovery of the area.