The Environmental Protection Agency is in San Luis working on cleaning up and mitigating a gasoline or “substance” leak issue stemming from a gas station in town. The issue was first detected Thursday, Jan. 15, by Costilla County staff in a stormwater drain that leads from the gas station into Culebra Creek. It was then reported to the EPA later that day.
Costilla County Administrator Ben Doon told Alamosa Citizen that some kind of “fuel or substance” was detected, but there is no evidence the gas stations are leaking fuel that is causing a problem.
The Costilla County Office of Emergency Management has been posting regular updates to its FaceBook page. In the most recent update, Costilla County Public Health Agency said it is continuing to advise the public to not drink water from any artesian wells.
“Drinking water from San Luis Water and Sanitation District is safe,” the agency said.
The EPA arrived on scene in San Luis on Friday, Jan. 16, and started working to mitigate the leak and trap the substance, believed to be gasoline, found in the stormwater drain.
Since then, Doon said, the EPA has had teams in San Luis all weekend and this week working on “flushing the system.” The EPA also took soil samples. Doon said the County is waiting on the EPA’s assessment.
An email to Colorado’s EPA division was sent on Wednesday, but a reply had not been received at the time of publication.
“The EPA basically took over the situation,” Doon said.
“SLV Hazmat has placed waddles in the creek to contain and mitigate the spill and will remain in place until further investigation from the EPA,” Costilla County OEM said in an update.
Soil and water samples were collected and results have yet to be released. Doon said Costilla County would be releasing a press release and statement later Wednesday.
On Friday, Jan. 16, EPA cleanup crews arrived and on Saturday, Jan. 17, began work with the Costilla County Fire Department, Costilla County OEM and Costilla County Public Health to flush the storm water drains in the town of San Luis with freshwater to “see about the removal of remnant traces of gasoline from the drainage system systems.”
Then on Sunday, with the assistance of Costilla County Fire Protection District, the EPA was able to use 7,200 gallons of water to flush out the drainage system. Due to this, officials said, the EPA cleanup crews have moved into “maintenance mode.” During maintenance mode EPA cleanup crews will return weekly to change out the booms, or “waddles.”
“Until we receive test results we will remain in a maintenance response. There will be no further updates at this time,” the Costilla County Office of Emergency Management said.
Office of Emergency Management staff and wildlife officials with Colorado Parks and Wildlife say they have observed fish swimming in Culebra Creek.
Culebra Creek is known as the “Mother Ditch” in San Luis. It starts in the Culebra Range of the Sangre de Cristo mountains between 11,000 and 12,000 feet in elevation and feeds tributaries and acequias all the way down to San Acacio.
“Emergency mitigation efforts appear to be working and no fish kills are apparent in the area or downstream. CPW has been on scene and noted that they observed fish swimming in the area,” the emergency managers said.
