The Environmental Protection Agency has found that Enterprise Products LLC, a Texas-based oil company, was not complying with hazardous waste treatment laws while cleaning 97,000 gallons of refined gasoline that leaked into the ground in December 2024 south of Durango.
According to a news release from the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, the finding came after the tribe expressed “significant concerns” to the EPA with how the hazardous waste obtained during Enterprise’s remediation work was being managed, treated and stored.
Earlier in the cleanup, Enterprise submitted a Treatment-by-Rule Request to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to treat hazardous waste on-site, the release said.
“The EPA has issued a notice of non-compliance to Enterprise regarding violations and safety concerns at the site, including hazardous waste characterization, storage and disposal,” the tribe’s release said. “With hazardous waste stored near Reservation residents and the Animas River, continued delay puts people and the environment at unnecessary risk.”
When the tribe expressed its concerns to the EPA, the agency began increasing its oversight of the remediation work. What it found was that Enterprise was not doing the on-site treatment in a safe way, the release said.
“On-site hazardous waste treatment can be done in a safe and responsible manner, but there have been issues of non-compliance with applicable hazardous waste laws,” the release said.
The tribe’s Environmental Programs Department recognized the threat to tribal members and the public when the spill was first reported, and has been fully involved in oversight decisions, the tribe’s release said. With the new findings, the department, EPA and CDPHE will conduct a joint inspection on Tuesday to see if Enterprise has rectified the concerns.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
