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EPA: Tests On Poudre Look Good After Asphalt Spill

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Aug 31, 2009 8:43 pm US/Mountain

EPA: Tests On Poudre Look Good After Asphalt Spill

Reporting
Mike Hooker
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4) ― The Environmental Protection Agency says water tests on the Poudre River have shown no dangerous contamination from last week's asphalt spill, but the tests are far from over.

A truck flipped on its side along Highway 14 and spilled thousands of gallons of liquid asphalt into the river.

Researchers want to make sure there's no chemicals from the asphalt spill in the river that could make its way to humans, either through drinking water, or by eating fish that had been contaminated as the chemicals work their way through the food chain.

Colorado Division of Wildlife researchers were at the spill site on Monday for various testing.

"We're looking for a very specific type of cadis fly that builds cases on these rocks," Nicole Vieira with the DOW said.

The cadis flies will be tested for chemicals from the asphalt spill.

"This is a nice fatty meal for a brown trout," Vieira said. "So if they have chemicals in them, we want to make sure that we're watching the brown trout population closely."

Nearby another researcher took sediment samples to see if asphalt chemicals were present.

"Talking mostly about the sand that's in the bottom of the river," Al Kehmeier with the DOW said. "In this tar, this asphalt tar, there are probably chemicals that could be known carcinogens and so we want to know if it's getting into the system."

Last week as cleanup crews began chopping away chunks of asphalt, Fort Collins and Greeley closed their gates on the Poudre River and turned to other sources for city water.

"Anywhere from 40 to 60 percent of our supply would be coming from the Poudre River," Kevin Gertig with Fort Collins Water Resources said.

Although initial EPA tests look good, Fort Collins' water treatment plant likely won't see any water from the Poudre River for another week.

"What we want to do is fully ascertain the water at the intake as well as the water that's in the pipeline that takes the Cache la Poudre water to our treatment facility," Gertig said.

Greeley is also keeping Poudre River water out of its system until the cleanup is completely finished.

The EPA says about 70 percent of the spilled asphalt has now been removed and they're still on track to wrap up the cleanup by the weekend.

(© MMX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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