At approximately 11 a.m. on June 2, 2026, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) notified the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 of a discharge of crude oil and brine (also referred to as produced water) from a tank battery following a lightning strike approximately 2.5 miles northwest of Hamilton, Kansas. The discharge occurred at approximately 2 a.m. on May 30 and impacted Onion Creek. KDHE contacted the EPA Region 7 spill line to request assistance with the reported discharge.
On June 2, a Region 7 On-Scene Coordinator (OSC) deployed to the incident location and met with KDHE to evaluate the discharge. The initial assessment determined that two tanks had been destroyed and approximately 1.5 miles of Onion Creek had been impacted by pockets of oil and sheen. The Responsible Party (RP) had mobilized a vacuum truck to recover oil. However, the initial recovery efforts were not satisfactory. The OSC also documented that the secondary containment for the tank battery was insufficient. KDHE issued a stream advisory for Onion Creek. EPA contacted the RP, who was unaware that the discharge had impacted Onion Creek. The RP agreed to mobilize additional cleanup contractors on June 3 and reported that the discharge more than likely consisted predominantly of brine.
On June 3, the primary responder OSC deployed and met with the RP to oversee cleanup operations. The RP was issued a Notice of Federal Interest (NOFI).
There are no further cleanup actions warranted at this time.
EPA Region 7 previously responded to an oil discharge from the same tank battery and RP in 2024 after determining that the RP response was insufficient.
