The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7, and Kansas Department of Health and Environment are continuing to coordinate response efforts for a submerged fuel tank incident at Tuttle Creek Lake.
The work is being conducted by the Water Injection Dredging project contractor, Michels, and their subcontracted hazardous materials (hazmat) team.
On Tuesday, March 17, response crews were on-site to deploy containment measures. The submerged fuel tank was fully enclosed with containment boom by noon. Throughout the day, additional absorbent booms and pads were strategically placed to contain and collect observed surface sheen and collect recoverable diesel in the cove.
Following a joint site assessment yesterday afternoon, EPA began providing additional federal oversight to ensure thorough and effective cleanup. The contractor’s hazmat team is mobilizing additional personnel and equipment to the site for today’s operations to enhance the containment and recovery work.
USACE has developed a comprehensive water quality sampling and monitoring plan in coordination with KDHE. This plan will guide future decisions regarding downstream releases. At this time, impacts appear to be limited to surface water in the immediate vicinity of the incident.
A specialized dive team began on-site dive operations on March 18. The primary goal is to assess the condition of the submerged fuel tank, develop and execute a plan to safely recover it.
Until the tank is recovered and its contents can be measured, the exact quantity of fuel lost cannot be determined, USACE concluded.