New Colo. oil spills found as flood delays cleanup

Companies have found more large spills in a Colorado oil field swamped by floodwaters as cleanup efforts stall due to high waters.

The latest spills reported Friday bring the known volume of oil released since massive flooding began last week along Colorado’s Front Range to an estimated 22,060 gallons. That’s about 525 barrels.

Most of the oil releases reported to date came from storage tanks or tank farms operated by Texas-based Anadarko Petroleum Co.

But many other companies have operations in the booming Wattenberg oil patch, and regulators caution that more oil releases are likely to be found in coming days.

Anadarko says its spill sites remain inaccessible for cleanup work.

State officials say much of the spilled oil has been carried at least some distance by floodwaters, which could further hamper cleanup efforts.