A 24 ton tanker truck carrying liquid asphalt overturned into the Poudre River, just west of Fort Collins, CO at approximately 10:30 in the monring on August 25th. Approximately 5,000 gallons of liquid asphalt was released into the River. Colorado Highway Patrol was the initial Incident Commander with the Poudre Fire Authority providing assistance. EPA deployed OSC Myers to the scene.
The tanker was removed from the river by a crane at approximately 11 PM. Crews are currently evaluating the most effective way to remove solidified asphalt from the river given the difficult access to the water.
The spill covered approximately 500 feet with intermittent areas of asphalt strands. A 13 person crew worked Thursday removing asphalt stringers by hand with saws, digging bars and linoleum scrapers. The asphalt is put into plastic bags and hauled to a 20 yard roll-off dumpster for removal. Agricultural users downstream showed support for the cleanup byagreeing to shut-off irrigation water in storage reservoirs located in the upper Poudre Canyon. This reduced water levels in the river making cleanup easier. Water usage has since been restored and the cleanup is complete.
