Spill Reporting
Citizens
If you as a citizen observe a potential spill from a gas well or other facility, please click the following link which will send an email notification to DOE. Please provide a well/facility name or location if possible. If the observed situation appears to be an emergency such as a fire, explosion or injury, please call 911 immediately.
Operators
The Tribe requests that Operators comply with applicable regulatory requirements including taking measures to prevent, control and clean up spills, developing and implementing a Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan, installing appropriate BMPs to prevent releases, and promptly responding during emergency situations as required by applicable regulations.
Use the Southern Ute Indian Tribe Department of Energy Exploration & Production Spill/Release Report form to report a spill that took place on the Reservation. The spill report must be accompanied by a topographic or aerial map showing the release location and extent.
The Operator is solely responsible for making non-tribal notifications that might be required, including notifications to the BIA, BLM, the National Response Center, EPA, COGCC, and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).
While some spills may not meet the reporting criteria detailed below, all spills require removal of free liquids and cleanup of impacted soils. Spill response actions must be approved by the applicable regulatory agency (e.g., BIA, BLM, EPA) with tribal consultation. Once regulatory approval is granted, SUIT DOE provides closure documentation to the Operator.
The following table is provided to assist in determining the need for reporting a spill on the Reservation.
Spills for Which the Tribe Requests Notification
| Description/Criteria | Notifications | ||
| No | Yes | ||
| Is the spill greater than or equal to one barrel (42 gallons) outside of secondary containment or five barrels (210 gallons) within secondary containment? | No report | ⯈ | To SUIT DOE Prompt verbal notification to SUIT DOE (970-563-5550) as soon as practicable, followed by a written report within 24 hours to spill@sudoe.us. SUIT DOE then notifies the following SUIT agencies, as necessary:
|
| Does the spill threaten to impact a residence or occupied structure, livestock, or a public byway? | No report | ⯈ | |
| Did the spill reach or threaten surface water, a dry arroyo, irrigation ditch, or a storm sewer that leads to surface water? | No report | ⯈ | |
| Does the spill have the potential to reach groundwater? | No report | ⯈ | |
| Did the spill meet the reporting criteria of any federal agency (i.e., EPA’s CERCLA reportable quantity, U.S. Department of Transportation’s pipeline release reporting criteria, BLM’s spill reporting criteria)? | No report | ⯈ | |
