BARBER COUNTY —Early Tuesday, crews restored power to customers impacted by the outage as a result of the oil spill, according to Southern Pioneer Electric.
Crews constructed a temporary bypass line that will provide power until the company is able to make permanent repairs.
Southern Pioneer thanked consumers for their patience while crews worked through the night to restore power to the affected area.
Kansas Highway 2 west of Kiowa from Northstar to Highway 281 is shut down due to the oil well blowing out across the highway, according to the Barber County Sheriff.
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BARBER COUNTY —An oil spill is causing power outages and closing a portion of a highway in Barber County, Kansas.
Kansas Highway 2 west of Kiowa from Northstar to Highway 281 is shut down due to the oil well blowing out across the highway, according to the Barber County Sheriff.
The power is also out in the community of Hardtner and outside Kiowa until officials can get the spill under control, according to Southern Pioneer Electric. Oil from the well near Pioneer infrastructure coated lines and caused them to trip and open.
Overnight, the utility reported "We have a better understanding of the situation but unfortunately do not have a restoration time for those impacted by the outage impacting areas near Hardtner."
"This situation has provided many difficulties, mostly centered around safety risks. The primary concern is the impact of salt water on our infrastructure. Renergizing the line at this time could pose increased risks of arcing or shorts. Additionally, gas fumes are restricting access to the area."
"We are looking into constructing a temporary line to bypass the impacted area. However, it has its own set of difficulties that we must consider."
" Ultimately, this is a situation in which we have to weigh various risks and ensure that we are keeping the safety of our consumers and crews in mind. Again, we will work to provide updates to consumers as they become available."