Asphalt spill in Poudre River hindered irrigation

September 9, 2009

By JoAn Bjarko

The Wellington

 

 

An Aug. 25 liquid asphalt spill in the Poudre River west of U.S. Highway 287 left Wellington-area irrigators without water for a week.

North Poudre Irrigation Co. manager Steve Smith said that cleanup officials asked him to stop calling for water intended for the Monroe Ditch, located just below the 5,000-gallon spill. Lower water flows made it easier and safer to remove the congealed asphalt.

“We were bringing water from Joe Wright and Long Draw (reservoirs),” Smith said. “Water Supply and Storage shut off, too.”
North Poudre’s water would have gone to irrigators south of County Road 72, where corn crops were at a critical stage. Irrigators north of CR 72 were able to take water from Reservoir #15, Smith said.

“Toward the end of the week, I was getting some anxious calls from those with hay and corn that was filling,” he said.

On Sept. 2, he was able to release water to the thirsty crops.

On Sept. 3, another tanker went off Highway 14 and dumped an estimated 5,000 gallons of asphalt and 200 gallons of diesel fuel into the Poudre.

This time, the spill occurred below the Monroe diversion, and cleanup crews asked Smith to intercept water coming down the river by diverting into the ditch.

“I went from famine to feast,” Smith said.

The excess water was delivered to North Poudre stockholders and into several reservoirs, including #3 that provides Wellington (Colorado) with water.

Smith said the Environmental Protection Agency agreed to a cleanup schedule that allowed him to put water back in the Poudre River on Sept. 8. Reservoirs need to be lowered this time of year so they have capacity to hold spring runoff.

Two different trucking companies, both carrying asphalt to a road construction project near Cameron Pass, were responsible for the accidents. Their drivers sustained minor injuries and were cited for careless driving.

After the second spill, the Colorado Department of Transportation ordered its contractor, LaFarge West, to suspend work on the project to conduct a “Safety Stand Down.” LaFarge will need to provide documentation of corrective actions taken to prevent another accident.

The truckers involved in the spills were driving for two different companies leased to Transtank of Colorado based in Greeley. Transtank is a subcontractor on the LaFarge project.

According to EPA reports, cleanup crews recovered 60 cubic yards of asphalt, plants and other waste from the first spill. They recovered 20 cubic yards from the second spill. The second spill did not spread as far because environmental crews still working on the first accident were able to quickly set booms in the river.

Officials at the accident scene said they will attempt to recover damage and cleanup costs from the contractor’s insurance company.