Submerged fuel tank recovered from Kansas’ Tuttle Creek Lake. ‘Leak now secure’
The fuel tank that broke loose Sunday from a barge in a portion of Tuttle Creek Lake has been recovered.
In a social media post Thursday, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Heartland Region said that the tank was recovered at 9:42 p.m. Wednesday.
“With the source of the diesel leak now secure, EPA responders will do a walk through with its responding partners,” the post said. The next step would be to transition the remaining response efforts to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the agency said.
At about 1:45 p.m. Sunday, the tank holding an estimated 1,800 gallons of diesel fuel became submerged in 20 feet of water at the lake. The winds and waves are suspected to be the cause of the incident. No foul play is suspected.
Crews have been working since then to contain the fuel and remove the tank.
On Tuesday, “additional absorbent booms and pads were strategically placed to contain and collect observed surface sheen and collect recoverable diesel in the cove,” a release from the Corps of Engineers said.
Then the specialized dive team began on-site operations on Wednesday. Until the tank was recovered, the release said, and the contents of it measured, t “the exact quantity of fuel lost cannot be determined.”
This story was originally published March 19, 2026 at 2:21 PM.
