Authorities: 5,000 gallons of asphalt spilled in river

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LARIMER COUNTY - Deputies shut down a 4-mile stretch of the Poudre River on Wednesday, a day after a semi-truck and trailer rolled, spilling thousands of gallons of liquid hot asphalt into the water.

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office says the Poudre River will be closed to recreationalists along Highway 14, from milepost 113 to milepost 116 due to physical hazards resulting from the spill.

The asphalt, which was 316 degrees when it hit the water, clung to big rocks in the river. The Poudre Fire Authority originally said about 500 gallons of asphalt went into the river, but on Wednesday, the U.S. Forest Service said the amount of spilled asphalt was actually 10 times that figure.

Gary Wockner of the Save the Poudre Coalition, a group dedicated to protecting the river, says the closure affects people interested in fishing or tubing the river, but since the temperature has started to dip, he doesn't think it will affect too many people.

"We're monitoring the situation," Wockner said. "Obviously, it's a major concern for the river's ecosystem."

Wockner says cleanup crews are doing everything they can to contain the spill.

The US Forest Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, the sheriff's office and other agencies planned to meet Wednesday morning to determine the right course of action.

Wockner says his two main concerns are monitoring the intake of drinking water at treatment facilities and the long-term environmental impacts on the river.

An official with Fort Collins Utilities says it has been monitoring the drinking water and it is safe to drink. They say booms were deployed upstream of the intake to catch any trace contamination from the spill.