EPA Now Studying Impact Of 11,500 Diesel Spill After Tanker Crash On I-25
JOHNSTOWN, Colo. (CBS4) - The Environmental Protection Agency is now monitoring the area around Interstate 25 where a tanker truck carrying diesel crashed overnight Saturday. It's estimated 11,500 gallons of diesel were spilled in the aftermath.
"The navigable water for us was the ditch that led to the Big Thompson River," Joni Sandoval said.
Sandoval is an on-scene coordinator with the EPA.
"We haven't seen any visual signs that would lead us to believe any oil has gone pass our earthen berms or underflow dams," she told CBS4.
To study the area, the EPA set up several collection areas to determine if any of the fuel is seeping into the watershed. At this point, the agency calls it all proactive measures.
"We're just not seeing anything that would lead us to believe that we have any concerns with the water right now," Sandoval said.
However, the the diesel did cause damage to the roadway.
"The fuel, when it gets into the pavement, when it's that massive amount of levels, seeps down into the pavement and actually gets to the sub surface," Jared Fiel said.
Fiel is the Regional Communications Manager for the Colorado Department of Transportation. He explained sections of I-25 were closed to remove pavement, they were patched and ready before the storm hit. In addition, those sections will all be completely replaced as the affected area was already in part of a construction zone for I-25 expansion.