MILLIKEN — Industry crews have placed absorbent booms in the South Platte River south of Milliken where at least 5,250 gallons of crude oil has spilled from two tank batteries into the flood-swollen river.
The spill from a damaged tank was reported to the Colorado Department of Natural Resources Wednesday afternoon by Anadarko Petroleum, as is required by state law.
State officials have responded to the spill site, which is south of Milliken near where the St. Vrain River flows into the South Platte.
Nearly 1,900 oil and gas wells in flooded areas of Colorado are shut, and 600 industry personnel are inspecting and repairing sites, according to the Colorado Oil and Gas Association. Crews are inspecting operations, conducting aerial and ground surveillance, identifying and determining locations of possible impairments, the association said Tuesday.
Anadarko, the second-largest operator in the operator in the Denver-Julesburg Basin, has shut about 10 percent of its operations — 250 tank batteries and 670 wells.
In a statement, Anadarko said: "To date, we are aware of two tank batteries that were damaged by flood waters, and have associated light-oil releases. The releases occurred in flood waters associated with the South Platte River and the St. Vrain River, and we have reported them to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the National Response Center, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.


Read More Here


*****************************************************************************

Colorado confirms more oil spills in flooded Weld County

oil booms
Oil booms spread across a creek from an Anadarko site south of Milliken on Sept. 19, 2013. (Andy Cross, The Denver Post)
 
By Bruce Finley
The Denver Post
Posted:   09/20/2013 01:23:56 PM MDT
 
State regulators on Friday confirmed more oil and gas spills totaling at least 3,200 gallons in Colorado's flooded South Platte River valley and estimated that two dozen storage tanks toppled in the past week's rush of water and debris.
But it is uncertain whether all will be — or can be — cleaned up.
Five spills in and along the river in Weld County currently are deemed "notable," according to a Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission update Friday afternoon.
Two spills were confirmed Friday along the South Platte near Evans — 56 barrels, or about 2,400 gallons, from an Anadarko Petroleum Corp. site and 21 barrels, or about 800 gallons, from a Bayswater Exploration and Production
facility.Another new spill, reported by Anadarko, has not been measured, the commission update said.
The company PDC also reported production equipment largely washed away at an undetermined site. State authorities are working with PDC to determine the amount of material that was on site before flooding began on Sept. 12.
The latest spills were confirmed after aerial surveys, COGCC's update said. They bring the documented total amount released to more than 22,000 gallons.
Anadarko on Wednesday reported two spills in Weld County. About 125 barrels — or 5,225 gallons — spilled into the South Platte River near Milliken. A tank farm on the St. Vrain River released 323 barrels — or 13,500 gallons — near Platteville. Those two spills involved "condensate" — a mixture of oil and water.
"The COGCC is tracking these reports and full investigations will take place when access allows," state natural resources spokesman Todd Hartman said in the update that was released in response to media queries.
"Operators will be required to remediate environmental impacts where necessary," Hartman said.
Federal Environmental Protection Agency authorities also are assessing damage but are leaving it to COGCC to tally estimates of spilled material, EPA spokesman Matthew Allen said.
"We're primarily serving a role to assess and evaluate the sites that fall into our area of coverage, which are spills to the rivers," he said. "The state of Colorado and FEMA are the lead agencies on this response, and EPA will continue to work with them to coordinate any clean up and remediation efforts related to damages caused by the flooding as the water recedes and we're able to fully evaluate the situation."
Colorado law requires oil and gas equipment in the floodplain to be anchored to resist flotation.
Anadarko spokesman John Christiansen said Anadarko tank moorings held at the Milliken and Platteville


Read More Here


*****************************************************************************