Photos Of Keystone Pipeline's Oil Spill In Kansas | Weather.com
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Photos Of Keystone Pipeline's Oil Spill In Kansas

In this photo taken by a drone, cleanup continues in the area where the ruptured Keystone pipeline dumped oil into a creek in Washington County, Kan., Friday, Dec. 9, 2022. (DroneBase via AP)
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In this photo taken by a drone, cleanup continues in the area where the ruptured Keystone pipeline dumped oil into a creek in Washington County, Kan., Friday, Dec. 9, 2022. (DroneBase via AP)

T​he oil spill in northeastern Kansas that began Dec. 7 was the largest in the pipeline’s history, as well as the largest on-shore spill in nearly a decade.

T​he rupture of the Keystone pipeline leaked 14,000 barrels of crude oil into a creek in Washington County, Kansas, about 150 miles northwest of Kansas City. The spill surpasses all previous Keystone pipeline failures combined, and is enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool, The Associated Press reported.

(​MORE: Kansas Oil Spill Officially Largest In Keystone Pipeline’s History)

According to a 2021 U.S. Government Accountability Office report, the pipeline has leaked 22 times since operations began in 2010, most of them being less than 20 barrels and on the property of Canada-based company TC Energy. The total from those 22 spills was a less than 12,000 barrels.

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According to officials, the affected segment of pipeline has been contained, and TC Energy said that the system was shut down after a drop in pipeline pressure Wednesday night.

About 250 personnel are on site working to clean the spill.

C​lick through the slideshow above to see images of the spill and cleanup.

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