The Enterprise Products gasoline pipeline rupture spilled an estimated 97,000 gallons on the Southern Ute Reservation and La Plata County land. Now, federal regulators are increasing their oversight.
The Environmental Protection Agency will fulfill its federal trust responsibilities with the state of Colorado and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe over cleanup and hazardous-waste management at the Enterprise Products spill site.
The December 2024 rupture is considered Colorado’s largest oil or gas spill since 2016. A failure of the pipeline or welding on the Enterprise’s Mid-America Pipeline System sent gasoline rushing throughout Florida Mesa. Benzene has seeped within half a mile of the Animas River.
Officials say the river is at low risk, but full remediation is expected to take years. Officials say that to date, more than 20,000 gallons have been recovered.
The Tribe contacted the EPA with “significant concerns” about Enterprise’s hazardous waste management.
According to the tribe’s press release, “the EPA will ensure that the cleanup is performed in accordance with federal requirements and will also monitor Enterprise’s hazardous waste generator requirements, better known as Resource Conservation and Recovery Act compliance.”
The tribe, the EPA, and the Colorado Department of Public Health will conduct a joint inspection this week to see if Enterprise has rectified the issues.
