From the Denver Business Journal (Cathy Proctor):
Test results show there’s no benzene contamination in Parachute Creek in western Colorado, near where an estimated 241 barrels of natural gas liquids spilled earlier this year, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. That includes one test site, known as CS-6, which repeatedly tested positive for low levels of the carcinogen throughout the summer, the department said Friday. The Department oversees the cleanup activities. Test results for other sites along the creek have remained at “non-detect” levels for benzene, the department said.
Cleanup efforts will wind down in the next few months, and the health department will do more monitoring, said Kate Lemon, a spokeswoman for the health department’s hazardous materials and waste management division. “We’re going to continue to monitor to ensure that there’s nothing that’s been overlooked, and that monitoring ultimately could take a couple of years,” Lemon said.
“Everything has been very successful and the company has been compliant with our orders.”
Benzene levels at the CS-6 site were at 9.2 parts per billion in mid-July, but dropped as cleanup equipment was installed and turned on. The three most recent test samples, on Aug. 8, 12, and 15, detected no traces of benzene, the department said, although it cautioned that levels may fluctuate with additional cleanup activities.