The flow that occurred at the beginning of December released 14,000 barrels of oil. This is one of the largest oil spills in the United States in almost 10 years.
The workers, who work day and night, are accompanied by personnel from TC Energy, responsible for the pipeline, local authorities and specialists from the federal government.
They are supported by cranes, vehicles and construction machinery that are lined up for almost 1 kilometer from the point of origin of the pipeline rupture.
The oil spill occurred in Washington County, an area made up of farms, herds of cattle and fields growing corn, wheat and soybeans.
Polluted land belongs to several owners.
One of them is a Pannbacker family trust. The grass on the family’s plot has been removed and only a large pile of dirt remains, visibly blackened.
According to farmer Chris Pannbacker, residents are used to bad weather but unprepared for a spill: It’s not a tornado or a natural disaster.
His land, he says, was polluted by diluted bitumen that was to be shipped from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.
14 owners
According to Kansas House of Representative Lisa Moser, 14 landowners are being compensated for losses caused directly by the oil spill or because the cleanup goes through their land.
TC Energy clarifies that the details of these indemnifications remain private. Chris Pannbacker points out that the company has not yet discussed with him the amount that would be granted to him.
The Dec. 7 leak is the third from the Keystone pipeline in the past five years. Cleaning up the 14,000 barrels could take weeks or even months.
Calgary-based TC Energy has not indicated when the 155-kilometre segment of the pipeline will be rehabilitated.