Sewage leak in Park County sparks conflict between community and local businessman

PARK COUNTY, Colorado – A sewage leak in July reignited a simmering conflict between Park County residents who opposed a waste transfer station near their homes, the business owner who built it there and the county that approved the station.

The Park County Commission approved the rezoning of the controversial site, owned by Adam Shirley's company ASKAG LLC, in February. About five months later, some of the neighbors opposed to the project contacted Denver7 Investigates to report what they said was “raw sewage,” or essentially human feces, flowing across their property.

Bobby Sample was one of the neighbors who noticed the problem and realized it was coming from the waste transfer station.

“It was a steady stream,” he said. “It came down by the gallon.”

Sample described his feelings as “disgust” and “anger.”

Others in the Will-O-Wisp community along Highway 285 just across the Park County line felt they had warned county officials that something like this would happen if they approved the project. Park County interim manager Mike Smith said he reacted violently when he first heard about the leak.

“It was definitely, 'Oh shit. We didn't need that,'” Smith said.

Smith said his biggest concern was safety, but said this incident did not endanger the public. But that did not stop residents from continuing to question county leadership.

“He's just leaving crap out,” said one resident. “Obviously Park County hasn't been checking and monitoring things.”

Smith said those community members have the opportunity to say, “I told you so.” He noted that Shirley did not violate the law, but she did violate the county's trust. He also said he believes Shirley owes his neighbors an apology.

This issue first surfaced last year when residents contacted Denver7 Investigates with concerns that Shirley was receiving preferential treatment from county officials during the application process for its waste transfer station. One former county planner called the application a “guaranteed success.”

Shirley also told some community members that he was building without a permit and the county knew what he was doing, a recording obtained by Denver7 Investigates.

Despite outcry from local residents, Park County commissioners voted 2-1 in February to rezone the site to allow for construction of the transfer station.

Following the leak, Shirley agreed to speak to Denver7 Investigates for the first time after declining requests for comment on previous stories.

“We didn't mean for this to happen and we don't want this to happen,” Shirley said. “I apologize that it happened, but it wasn't intentional. It was a pump that accidentally turned on.”

Shirley also took responsibility for the incident and said he acted quickly to fix the problem. He said what came out of the pipe and onto people's property was sewage treated with lime.

“I will do my utmost to ensure that something like this never happens again,” he said.

Shirley said he is trying to make peace with his neighbors, but that may prove difficult as neighbors are considering taking legal action against Shirley over the impact of the spill, according to sources.

When Denver7 Investigates visited Park County shortly after the spill, cleanup crews were on site. Shirley paid for the cleanup.