The EPA has taken over management of the spill of unleaded gasoline on Highway 36 at the Apple Valley Bridge Tuesday afternoon. A tanker truck carrying the gasoline tipped over and began spilling the fuel into the St. Vrain Creek upstream of Lyons.
All of the water supply for Longmont and Lyons is being diverted at the Longmont Dam, above the spill. There are no current or expected impacts on the city’s treated water supply, Becky Schol, spokeswoman for Longmont’s Public Works and Natural Resources, said via email today.
The EPA “has robust water quality monitoring program underway,” Schol said.
The EPA will be updating the public on the incident-reporting website at: https://response.epa.gov/site/site_profile.aspx?site_id=15183. City Water Resources and Water Quality staff members are continuing to monitor updates, Schol said.
Staff has also closed the head gate to the Oligarchy Ditch, so the impacted water will not flow through Longmont via the Oligarchy Ditch or reach Union Reservoir, the city stated Tuesday.
The tanker truck was carrying over 8,500 gallons of gasoline and an unknown amount spilled into St. Vrain Creek, according to the EPA news release. There are also reports of “significant fish kill” three to four miles downstream of the spill, the EPA states.
