Approximately 178 barrels of crude oil — about 7,500 gallons — were spilled Friday afternoon from a storage tank into the Poudre River.

According to the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, the cause of the spill, east-southeast of Windsor, was spring flood waters undercutting a bank, causing the tank to drop downward and damaging a valve. This allowed oil to escape from that broken valve.

The tank is operated by Noble Energy. The company discovered the leak and reported it to authorities.

The department said water quality staff from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment were at the scene and no drinking water intakes had been affected by the spill. Standing water with some hydrocarbons were found in one low-lying area near the tank; also, vegetation was stained for about one-quarter mile downstream of the site.