Cleanup crews raced against rain and snow Saturday night to keep a wrecked oil train along the South Platte River from leaking into the river, pumping oil from 28,000-gallon tankers.
An estimated 6,500 gallons of Niobrara crude oil spilled from the New York-bound 100-car train into the sandy banks of the South Platte — west of La Salle, about 45 miles north of Denver.
Union Pacific Railroad officials said they’ll excavate contaminated soil and replace it with clean soil.
Five of six derailed tankers had been hauled away, and crews were draining the last one.
Railroad workers replaced an 80-foot stretch of damaged track and were fixing a bridge.
No oil had been detected in the river, federal authorities said.
A journalist and lawyer, Bruce Finley has investigated local, national and international issues with on-site reporting in more than 40 countries. In his position as a staff writer for the Denver Post, he is focusing on environment-related news including water challenges, the oil and gas boom and wildfire.
