On Tuesday, June 4, at approximately 1:50 p.m., contractors working on a boring project at the Loveland Water Reclamation Facility, 920 S. Boise Ave., hit a pipeline at the plant, resulting in a leak.
Staff were able to stop the leak, however, a valve unexpectedly leaked overnight resulting in an estimated 640,000 gallons of treated but not disinfected wastewater and clarifier solids being spilled on site.
Of that, an estimated 260,000 gallons entered the Big Thompson River adjacent to the plant. The overnight leak was discovered at 4:20 a.m. when staff arrived at the plant today, Wednesday, June 5, 2024.
Testing and remediation of the Big Thompson River began immediately, and preliminary testing results show no elevated contaminants in the water, and the water meets stream water quality standards.
Additionally, the Colorado Department of Health and Environment has determined there are no downstream public drinking water users and no immediate threat to downstream drinking water systems.