Oil spill in Colorado has been contained

A large oil spill leaking into the South Platte River near Suncor Energy's Denver refinery has been contained.

The US Environmental Protection Agency said that oil is no longer trickling into the water but said that as the product was found to be refined, it was not from Canadian oilsands.

It was discovered by local fisherman Trevor Tanner, who said: "I walked several hundred feet up Sand Creek and there was an oil sheen the whole way and there was even a weird milky chocolaty sludge trapped in the small back-eddy below the confluence."

"We're not dealing with tarsands here," EPA spokesman Matthew Allen told Reuters. "It is refined product."

Authorities discovered oil leaking into Sand-Creek earlier this week but have admitted they do not know how much oil has been spilt or how long it has been oozing into the river.

The waterway, which is a major source of drinking water, wildlife habitat and agricultural water, is now being tested for levels of petroleum and oil levels to access the impact of the spill.

Posted by Joseph Hutton