Raw sewage spills at Denver airport

DENVER, March 18 (UPI) -- As much as 1 million gallons of raw sewage spilled at Denver International Airport could flow into a wildlife refuge, officials said.

Jeff Green, an airport spokesman, blamed the spill on the failure of a pump, The Denver Post reported. He said it apparently began late Tuesday and was discovered by a maintenance crew the next morning.

The sewage spilled into Third Creek, which eventually flows, through a network of canals, into Barr Lake, a bird and fish sanctuary, Tom Butts, head of environmental health for the Tri-County Health Department, said. The lake is about 7 miles northwest of the airport.

The lake is being tested to determine if any of the sewage has reached it. Butts said that is not inevitable.

"There's a lot of territory in Third Creek before it leaves the airport property," he said.

Brandy Vignali, a Colorado State Parks Ranger, said there was no sign Wednesday of contamination in the lake.