WPX Energy spokesperson Susan Alvillar reported Thursday night that a land slump, apparently caused by excess soil moisture, ruptured a gas line near Parachute on Wednesday afternoon.

She said the rupture occurred in a 16-inch “gathering line” just after noon on private property south of the Colorado River, and east of Parachute.

“It was dry gas, so there was no soil contamination,” she told attendees at the Garfield County Energy Advisory Board meeting at the Parachute Branch Library.

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The event lasted about a half hour and the company had not made final calculations about how much gas escaped, Alvillar said. She added that initial numbers indicated the amount was below the threshold at which the leak needed to be reported.

“Our calculations lead us to believe that we didn’t exceed any limits.”

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She said efforts to contain the leak started quickly, because “alarms went off everywhere.”

“We apologize for that happening,” Alvillar told the board. “It was an act of Mother Nature.”

She said no injuries occurred and no fire was associated with the leak.