A truck carrying cooking grease overturned on a bridge along Roanoke Parkway on Thursday, causing a spill into Brush Creek and heavy traffic on the Country Club Plaza.
The crash occurred around 2:30 p.m. and caused a spill that went several hundred yards down Brush Creek.
Crews raced to contain the spill on Thursday, which led to brown & black residue and streaks forming along the waterway.
In excess of 1,000 gallons of used cooking oil and grease was released onto the road and into Brush Creek, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources said on Friday.
Grease truck crashes, spilling grease into Brush Creek @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/v8Oxw93nmH
— Sarah Plake (@SarahPlakeTV) April 27, 2017
Trying to suck up all the grease. Smells awful. @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/jwPYVzHrKW
— Sarah Plake (@SarahPlakeTV) April 27, 2017
Fire officials say no health hazards @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/7O93hLY81Q
— Sarah Plake (@SarahPlakeTV) April 27, 2017
Many people on the Plaza also complained of a foul stench following the spill.
“It almost smells like some kind of chemical sewage backup,” explained Kimberly Bush, who went to the Plaza on Thursday to walk along the creek. “The water isn't flowing like it usually does and it's real oily looking."
The crash led to parts of Roanoke Parkway and Ward Parkway getting shut down for hours. The area remained closed Thursday night.
Long lines of cars could be seen on the roads as traffic stretched back along the restaurants and stores of the iconic Kansas City area.
“It's a little heavier than normal,” said Todd Unger, who rode his moped in the traffic. “This is pretty bad."
Other drivers had to go through police barriers to make it back to their homes along Ward Parkway.
“It's definitely worse than it is on a normal day,” said Elisa Thayer, who took side roads to try and beat the traffic. “It's unfortunate. You hate to see anything negative happen to Kansas City's natural environment."
A police officer who spoke to 41 Action News said speed likely played a role in the crash that caused the spill.
According to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the responsible party Brooks Grease Service hired HazMat Response Inc. to complete the cleanup and several booms were put into Brush Creek to collect the grease and solids. A vacuum truck was used to recover material as well.
Water samples are being collected by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and they said they are monitoring the clean up. A representative stated there is no visible fish kill or aquatic impacts, but there is a light, silvery sheen on the service of the water.
