Colorado health officials have issued a water contact advisory for the John Martin Reservoir after a 4.25-million-gallon untreated sewage spill near Pueblo moved downstream through the Arkansas River.
What Caused the Spill
The spill began on a Wednesday when a section of a repaired sewage pipe sitting inside a stormwater discharge pipe suffered a pressure burst, sending raw sewage meant for a Pueblo treatment facility into the river just east of Interstate 25 instead. The leak was stopped the following day, but not before more than 4 million gallons had escaped.
The Response
Water samples taken downstream showed high levels of E. coli. Colorado Parks and Wildlife advised visitors to the Arkansas River and John Martin Reservoir, near Hasty, to avoid swimming, wading, tubing, paddleboarding, fishing, and any other direct contact with the water starting Monday, when the contamination was expected to arrive at the reservoir.
