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ENLARGE
VAIL VALLEY, Colorado — Operator error was responsible for a release of contaminated water from the Eagle Mine Water Treatment Plant in the Eagle River in Colorado's Vail Valley on Tuesday, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says it was told by the plant's operator.
A Minturn public works employee noticed discolored water in the Eagle River at approximately 7:30 a.m., Tuesday, and went upstream to locate the source, where he observed a pipe discharging brown liquid into the river.
Ray Merry, of the Eagle County Public Health Department, reported the situation to a consultant working for CBS Inc., the plant owner. Frank Environmental Services, which operates the water treatment plant, shut the plant down around 11:30 a.m., ending the discharge.
Downstream water users and distributors were notified, as was the Eagle River Watershed Council. Drinking water intakes for Edwards and Avon were closed as a precaution, and drinking water was not affected. The Colorado Division of Wildlife reported no dead or distressed fish downstream of the effluent point.
The initial investigation suggested a computer malfunction was responsible for the release, which turned out to be incorrect. In a Dec. 3 letter to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Frank Environmental Services confirmed that don Monday night, an operator had switched the plant computer to daytime mode and forgot to return it to nighttime mode when she left the plant shortly before midnight. At some point on Tuesday morning, sludge in the clarifier rose to a level that allowed solids in the water to overflow. The solids then flowed to another tank where some settled and the rest were discharged to the Eagle River at a rate of 335 gallons per minute.
Normally such an upset condition would trigger an automatic shutdown of the water treatment plant and an automated system would call the operator list until an operator responds. The computer system is programmed to turn itself to nighttime mode at 3:15 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. However, the operator had turned the computer to daytime mode after 10 p.m., so the system remained in daytime mode. In the daytime mode the operator call-out function does not activate, nor does the plant shut down automatically when signaled to do so.
Further investigation will be required to determine exactly how much contaminated water entered the river, as well as water quality impacts from the spill. Plant officials estimate a minimum of 79,395 gallons of partially treated water was released. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment officials have not yet decided whether to take enforcement action against the plant operator.
This is the second spill from the Eagle Mine Water Treatment Plant in one year. The last release occurred on Jan. 22.
A Minturn public works employee noticed discolored water in the Eagle River at approximately 7:30 a.m., Tuesday, and went upstream to locate the source, where he observed a pipe discharging brown liquid into the river.
Ray Merry, of the Eagle County Public Health Department, reported the situation to a consultant working for CBS Inc., the plant owner. Frank Environmental Services, which operates the water treatment plant, shut the plant down around 11:30 a.m., ending the discharge.
Downstream water users and distributors were notified, as was the Eagle River Watershed Council. Drinking water intakes for Edwards and Avon were closed as a precaution, and drinking water was not affected. The Colorado Division of Wildlife reported no dead or distressed fish downstream of the effluent point.
The initial investigation suggested a computer malfunction was responsible for the release, which turned out to be incorrect. In a Dec. 3 letter to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Frank Environmental Services confirmed that don Monday night, an operator had switched the plant computer to daytime mode and forgot to return it to nighttime mode when she left the plant shortly before midnight. At some point on Tuesday morning, sludge in the clarifier rose to a level that allowed solids in the water to overflow. The solids then flowed to another tank where some settled and the rest were discharged to the Eagle River at a rate of 335 gallons per minute.
Normally such an upset condition would trigger an automatic shutdown of the water treatment plant and an automated system would call the operator list until an operator responds. The computer system is programmed to turn itself to nighttime mode at 3:15 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. However, the operator had turned the computer to daytime mode after 10 p.m., so the system remained in daytime mode. In the daytime mode the operator call-out function does not activate, nor does the plant shut down automatically when signaled to do so.
Further investigation will be required to determine exactly how much contaminated water entered the river, as well as water quality impacts from the spill. Plant officials estimate a minimum of 79,395 gallons of partially treated water was released. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment officials have not yet decided whether to take enforcement action against the plant operator.
This is the second spill from the Eagle Mine Water Treatment Plant in one year. The last release occurred on Jan. 22.
