County water manager reports elevated metals, diesel-range organics after Union Pacific discharge to Fraser River

Catherine Morris, Grand County water quality manager, told commissioners on Nov. 6 that samples taken after a discharge beneath Union Pacific Railroad’s Moffett Tunnel and into the Fraser River contained multiple contaminants at levels she said exceed state standards. "We came out with aluminum at 7,630 micrograms per liter, which exceeds the acute chronic and acute aquatic life standards of 87 and 979 respectively," Morris said, adding that iron and uranium were also above relevant limits and that diesel-range organics were present.

Morris said the original samples, collected by a downstream neighbor, could not be used for enforcement because of collection and chain-of-custody problems — they were small, not in lab-specified containers and lacked field filtration — but the analyses still show an "affirmative" presence of contaminants. She said she shared the full lab report and photographs with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and recommended better prepared sampling in the future (larger glass bottles and strict chain-of-custody procedures) so evidence could support enforcement if needed.

The board discussed options for monitoring and urged staff to supply neighbors with appropriate sampling bottles and instructions to improve the odds of capturing future events. Morris also said she had reached a Union Pacific regional communications director and learned the railroad is adding a storage tank at its treatment plant intended to reduce surge overflows; she said tunnel cleaning activities should be captured and not discharged to the river. Commissioners did not take separate action at the meeting but directed staff to continue coordination with CDPHE and local partners.