On March 15, 2026, at approximately 1:45 p.m., a 2,000 gallon capacity diesel fuel tank fell off a Water Injection Dredge (WID) barge into Tuttle Creek Lake near Manhattan, Kansas, during an intense northwest winds.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 received a National Response Center (NRC) report of a discharge of an unknown amount of diesel fuel onto Tuttle Creek Lake, a reservoir that leads to the Blue River, which is a tributary of the Kansas River. Initial and follow-on reports indicated that the Potentially Responsible Party (PRP), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Michels Construction, Inc., USCACE's WID contractors, retained an Oil Spill Removal Organization (OSRO), Hazmat Response Inc., to investigate the extent and the impact of the discharge. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) notified downstream water intakes; Manhattan (Water One), Topeka, and Lawrence of diesel fuel discharge and issued a stream advisory on March 15.
On March 16, USACE stopped releasing water from the dam for 48 hours, limiting downstream water access to aforementioned downstream water intakes. The PRP coordinated a dive team to investigate, secure, and raise the submerged tank during safe conditions. The OSRO deployed boom around the diesel tank and inlets with collected oil. A representative from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) arrived on site to investigate potentially impacted populations of wildlife and/or critical habitat areas. USFWS did not have concerns over impacts at the time of the site visit.
On March 17, KDHE notified EPA Region 7 that oil had impacted the water surrounding the last known location of the submerged tank. An EPA On-Scene Coordinator, an additional EPA responder, along with EPA contractors mobilized to the site. The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund was opened and an initial Spot Report was submitted.
On March 18, the diesel tank was safely recovered; an approximate 1,800 gallons of diesel was discharged into the environment. A shoreline assessment was conducted and an excavation of oiled soils was completed by the PRP.
EPA Region 7 conducted a site walk through and transitioned the remaining cleanup efforts to USACE and the KDHE; the EPA demobilized the site on March 23, 2026.
Under KDHE's oversight, the USACE developed a water sampling plan and on March 25, KDHE rescinded the stream advisory on Tuttle Creek Lake. No additional updates are anticipated and no further actions are warranted at this time.
