Officials in the U.S. state of Kansas say it will take weeks to clean up the biggest U.S. crude oil pipeline spill in nearly a decade.

TC Energy, the Canadian company that operates the pipeline, estimates the rupture last week in a rural creek resulted in a spill of about 14,000 barrels before officials shut it down.

The Keystone Pipeline carries oil from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast.

This is not the first spill of its kind, but it is the biggest in the system’s history, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The oil dumped into the creek is enough to nearly fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool.  

A report released last year by the U.S. Government Accountability Office stated that there have been 22 previous spills along the Keystone system since 2010. Most of these spills occurred in properties operated by TC Energy and the total from those 22 spills was less than 12,000 barrels. This most recent spill was the biggest in the system's history.

According to TC Energy, the ruptured pipeline segment has been isolated, and the company and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have said the oil spill was contained. 

The EPA says drinking water wells were not affected. In a statement, the company said, "There is no indication of adverse health or public concerns."

The Keystone Pipeline carries Canadian tar sands oil to refineries in the United States. Environmentalists believe tar sands oil is more toxic than lighter crude oil and can sink in the water instead of floating on top, making it more difficult to clean up. 

According to the American Petroleum Institute, pipelines are considered safer in general to transport oil rather than railcars or trucks but large spills can result in environmental damage.

Concern about potential oil spills worries environmentalists, who oppose plans by TC Energy to build another crude oil pipeline within the Keystone system called the Keystone XL. The Biden administration cancelled the U.S. permit to the Keystone XL project last year despite Canadian opposition to the permit cancellation. The Keystone XL would have connected Western Canada to Nebraska over a distance of 1,900 kilometers.  

Public opinion in the U.S. has also shifted about the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. While in 2013 the majority of those surveyed were in favor of building the Keystone XL pipeline, that percentage went down to 42% by 2017 with most adults surveyed opposing the construction.

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