It’s hurry up and wait in San Luis while Costilla County officials await soil sample test results from a gasoline leak flowing into nearby Culebra Creek. The leak was first detected on Jan. 14 and officials with Colorado’s Department of Oil and Public Safety and the Environmental Protection Agency have yet to release results.
Costilla County Deputy Administrator and Deputy Emergency Manager Chris Rodriguez, during a Tuesday work session, told the Costilla Board of County Commissioners that the source of the leak has not been located. He also said that while they await test results, the EPA and OPS are in “maintenance mode.”
Soil samples taken by the EPA’s on-site inspector initially found “old gas” and “new gas” at different depth levels, he said.
On Monday, Rodriguez said, the Department of Oil and Public Safety said it would be taking over the incident investigation and management from the EPA “sooner rather than later.”
Commissioner Steven Romero said there was a lot of concern in the community over contaminated water.
In the EPA’s official response to the incident, it wrote, “At this point, the Costilla County Public Health Department has no reason to believe any wells in the county area affected or contaminated by this incident.” The EPA advised and encouraged residents to have their water tested if anyone is ingesting well or spring water from private wells or artesian springs along the south end of Main Street in San Luis.
Rodriguez said during the first inspection on Thursday, Jan. 15, local officials could smell gasoline and see a sheen on the surface of the water. A private citizen was the first to report the spill to the Division of Water Resources on Wednesday, Jan. 14.
Since then, “wattles” have been placed and replaced in the Culebra. Wattles are simple filtration devices that can capture specific runoff contaminants. These wattles are being replaced daily.
About two weeks ago, county officials said, there was a gasoline leak at the Conoco station in San Luis. The owner of that station reported the leak to the state and the state was able to inspect it. That station is now required to monitor and enforce monitoring near the site. The leak was found as part of a regular inspection.
“Right now we’re in hurry-up-and-wait until we can actually locate the leak and stop it. There’s not much we can do. We’re just in maintenance mode and waiting for some type of solution,” Rodriguez said.
