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Contract vehicle spills chemical on Swan Mountain Road

Breeana Laughlin
blaughlin@summitdaily.com

Fire crews responding to a report of an unknown substance near the intersection of Highway 6 and Swan Mountain Road at about 3:15 p.m. on Friday discovered a chemical spill.

It took about seven hours for crews to clean up and contain the substance, reported to be the hardening catalyst for epoxy traffic paint, said Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue public information officer Steve Lipsher.

The paint-hardening agent was reportedly leaked onto Swan Mountain Road by a highway painting crew after it turned onto the road from Highway 6. The substance spilled onto about 300-450 feet of roadway before the crew stopped the flow, Lipsher said.



Crews from Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue, the Summit Fire Authority’s Hazardous Materials Team, Summit County Road and Bridge, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, the Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado State Patrol and Denver Water responded to the spill.

Swan Mountain Road was reduced to one lane in each direction while the spill was being contained, Lipsher said.



Exposure to the liquid is not considered a threat to humans, but crews were working to keep it out of the nearby Dillon Reservoir.

An unknown number of vehicles drove through the substance, Lipsher said. “It’s a material you don’t want to spread.”

Drivers whose vehicles may have come in contact with the chemical can get cleanup advice from the Colorado State Patrol, Frisco Troop Office, at (970) 668-6840.


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