SOUTH DAKOTA (NEWS10) – The Keystone Pipeline leak is apparently worse than first thought. 
 
 TransCanada Corporation now says it appears approximately 16,800 gallons of oil have leaked in South Dakota since Saturday. The company says it reported the 400-barrel estimate Thursday to the National Response Centre and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration. It says the estimate is based on the excavation of soil to expose more than 100 feet of pipe and takes into account factors including oil observed in the soil and the potential area affected. 
 
 At first officials said less than 200 gallons were spilled. 
 
 TransCanada says the leak has been “controlled” although they have yet to find the source of the leak. The company has told customers the pipeline will remain closed until early next week. 
 
 The pipeline runs from Alberta, Canada, to refineries in Illinois and Cushing, Oklahoma, passing through the eastern Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. The Keystone pipeline can handle 550,000 barrels, or about 23 million gallons, daily. It’s part of a pipeline system that also would have included the Keystone XL pipeline had President Barack Obama not rejected that project last November. 
 
 Analysts say the shutdown will have a short-term impact in which less-heavy Canadian crude will be getting to the market, but the system is already oversupplied so consumers are unlikely to see an impact at the pump. ||||| Crews are working to clean up a pipeline leak that has spilled at least 210,000 gallons of oil in South Dakota. 
 
 Photo courtesy of TransCanada 
 
 Brian Walsh with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources tells KSFY News they were alerted to the leak at 10:30 a.m. Thursday morning by TransCanada. 
 
 The leak was in the Keystone Pipeline located in an agricultural area in Marshall County. There have been no reports of the oil entering any waterways or water systems at this time. 
 
 Walsh said 5,000 barrels of oil have leaked, and at 42 gallons a barrel, that totals 210,000 gallons of oil. 
 
 The pipeline has been shut off and the leak has been covered. An emergency response plan has been activated to get more staff and contractors to the site for clean up. 
 
 Walsh anticipates the clean up will take some time. 
 
 The following is a statement from TransCanada in response to the oil leak: 
 
 "TransCanada (TSX, NYSE: TRP) crews safely shut down its Keystone pipeline at approximately 6 a.m. CST (5 a.m. MST) after a drop in pressure was detected in its operating system resulting from an oil leak that is under investigation. The estimated volume of the leak is approximately 5,000 barrels. The section of pipe along a right-of-way approximately 35 miles (56 kilometres) south of the Ludden pump station in Marshall County, South Dakota was completely isolated within 15 minutes and emergency response procedures were activated. 
 
 Crews, including TransCanada specialists from emergency management, engineering, environmental management and safety as well as contracted, nationally recognized experts are assessing the situation. TransCanada is providing State and Federal regulators, including the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the National Response Center (NRC), with accurate and confirmed information on an ongoing basis. 
 
 TransCanada appreciates the collaborative support of local officials, emergency response personnel and commissioners in Marshall County, as well as the landowner who has given permission to access land for assessment, identification and clean-up activities. 
 
 We have been keeping our shippers and customers up to date and have communicated that the pipeline from Hardisty, Alberta to Cushing, Oklahoma and to Wood River/Patoka, Illinois is expected to remain shut down as we respond to this incident. This does not affect the Marketlink pipeline system, which uses the facilities of the southern leg of the Keystone system from Cushing to the Gulf Coast. 
 
 The safety of the public and environment are our top priorities and we will continue to provide updates as they become available."
– The Keystone pipeline sprung a leak Saturday, and TransCanada was slightly off in its original estimate of how much oil spilled into Hutchinson County, South Dakota—by about 9,000% or so. CNN reports the oil company originally estimated that only about 187 gallons had spilled. On Thursday, it updated that estimate to about 16,800 gallons after excavating more than 100 feet of pipe, News 10 ABC reports. While TransCanada has yet to find the source of the leak, it says it's been "controlled" by shutting off a section of the pipeline. CNN quotes TransCanada as stating it hasn't "observed significant impacts to the environment" from the leak. The company claims the leak poses no threat to public health, UPI reports. The affected section of the Keystone pipeline will remain closed until early next week while workers search for the leak. While less oil will be entering the US market from Canada for the time being, analysts say consumers won't be affected as there is currently more than enough oil available. Last November, President Obama vetoed an extension of the Keystone pipeline known as Keystone XL at least partly due to environmental concerns. TransCanada is currently challenging that veto in federal court. CNN quotes the executive director of the Sierra Club as saying the current leak in South Dakota "is a stark reminder that it's not a question if a pipeline will malfunction, but rather a question of when."