Worker cited for dumping chemicals into storm drain that leads to Vail’s Gore Creek

The Town of Vail on Wednesday issued the following press release on a worker for Hollywood Services allegedly dumping engine coolant into a storm drain that leads into Gore Creek:

On June 16, a concerned citizen reported that an individual was pouring fluid, later identified to be watered down engine coolant, from a container into a storm drain on Forest Road in Vail Village that leads into Gore Creek.

A Vail Police Department officer responded and discovered that the offender was working at a nearby construction site managed by Hollywood Services, LLC and admitted to dumping the contaminant into the drain.

Based on the observations from the witness and the admission of the offender, the worker was summonsed to Municipal Court for violating Vail Town Code Ordinance 5-1-4 (depositing waste material). Depositing waste is a municipal misdemeanor defined as “The throwing, depositing, scattering by any person or the permitting by any person of the throwing or scattering of any waste or other material of any kind upon any sidewalk, street, alley, public passageway, public park, open area or upon any private property within the town shall be deemed a public nuisance.”

The town hired a contractor to vacuum the fluid out of the storm drain to prevent the weekend rain from washing it into Gore Creek and will be seeking restitution from the employer.

The town’s Environmental Sustainability Department oversees the stewardship of the town’s unique mountain ecosystem and wildlife. Its designees are involved in the investigation and advising the Police Department to determine the environmental impact of the events that occurred.

The Vail Police Department believes in environmental protection and the practice of preserving and improving the town’s natural resources to reverse trends that negatively impact the surrounding Gold Medal Waters.

For additional information on Town of Vail Environmental Sustainability, visit https://www.vailgov.com/government/departments/environmental-sustainability. For additional information on the Town of Vail’s Gold Medal Waters, visit https://discovervail.com/gold-medal-waters/.

To report illegal dumping into storm drains, improper use of chemicals near waterways or other violations that could impact water quality, please call the Gore Creek spill hotline 970-476-GORE (4673) during business hours. Or, at any time observers of illegal activity may call 911.

To report to Vail Police Department non-urgent criminal activity online, visit https://crimewatch.net/us/co/eagle/vail-pd/118587/report or call dispatch non-emergency at 970-479-2201 where you will be transferred to an officer.

For additional information on the town’s existing strategies to protect Gore Creek, contact Peter Wadden, watershed education coordinator at 970-479-2144 or by email at pwadden@vailgov.com.

For additional information on code enforcement violations, contact Lead Code Enforcement Officer Miguel Jauregui at 970-479-2236 or by email at mjauregui@vailgov.com.