FORT COLLINS, Colo.—For the second time in nine days, a tanker truck has crashed and spilled asphalt into the Cache la Poudre River in northern Colorado.
The driver didn’t appear to be seriously hurt, but about 5,000 gallons of asphalt and 200 to 300 gallons of diesel fuel spilled into the river, Larimer County sheriff’s spokeswoman Eloise Campanella said.
The tanker broke through a guardrail on Colorado 14 northwest of Fort Collins and landed on its side in the river.
Another tanker truck crashed Aug. 25 and spilled about 5,000 gallons of asphalt in the river four miles upstream of Thursday’s accident. The two drivers were working for subcontractors on a state project.
On Thursday, the Colorado Department of Transportation suspended all work until the contractor, LaFarge West, shows it is taking action to prevent any more spills.
Transportation Department spokeswoman Stacey Stegman said LaFarge is resurfacing part of Colorado 14.
Authorities closed several miles of the highway Thursday, and about six miles of the river was closed to recreational use.
The Fort Collins Coloradoan newspaper said a heavy blanket of asphalt had settled to the bottom of the river.
Authorities identified the driver as John Morris, 44, of Rawlins, Wyo., who was working for Trans Tank of Greeley. He was treated for minor injuries.
Morris and the driver in the earlier crash were both cited with careless driving.
Crews were still cleaning up the first spill Thursday. Federal environmental officials said most of the asphalt and diesel fuel from the latest accident was contained. They don’t expect any long-term effects to the river or fish.
The cities of Fort Collins and Greeley both draw water from the Cache la Poudre (kash-luh-POO’-der), and neither has reopened its intake valves since the earlier spill. Officials with both cities said there’s no danger of water shortages.
