Pollution article, South Platte & Boulder Creek

[Livingston]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science....ap/index.html

[Arn]

That certainly explains "The Craw's" desire to crossdress during boating season. Stay out of Boulder Creek Marty!!

[mountainbuns]

Thanks for the article Darren. Wow!
I've been reading more about water quality problems in CO for a job interview I had last week, and endocrine disruptors came up during the interview as an emerging problem. Fascinating and scary all at once!

Here's another article talking about Boulder Creek's recent listing as an impaired water under the Clean Water Act, due to E. coli.

http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/city_...217090,00.html


Maybe that grab sample we took a couple years ago, that showed higher coliforms in Boulder Creek than at Confluence, was not so far off...

http://mountainbuzz.com/viewtopic.ph...fecal+coliform


Wear those plugs and don't roll!

[Don]

Maybe we should start calling Widow Maker- the E.Coli Hole.

[Livingston]

Haa, that is hilarious Arn! I was considering throwing in a stab at The Craw myself but reconsidered since I've given him so much shit for swimming the Deckers run this year.

-d

[rpm]

In reference to the discussion about water quality and health of kayakers, you may wish to check out the new report, "Swimming in Sewage," done by the Natural Resources Defense Council this year. The URL is:
http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/sewage/contents.asp

[KSC]

The study in the CNN article is referring to areas downstream of where people normally boat (on S. Platte & Boulder Creek). The Daily Camera artlcle seems to imply these levels are present in the park, although it's not clear where the samples were taken. Anyone know?

It doesn't seem like there's much opportunity for dumping waste in Boulder creek until it passes through Boulder. Is there something upstream I don't know about?

[Andy H.]

Downstream of the discharge points of the big sewage treatment plants will be where the higher levels of nasty stuff. Below the Englewood Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP in the parlance) is where the South Platte will start picking up the real nasties though the urban stormwater runoff will start coming in just below Chatfield. While there will still probably be some setpic tank runoff in Boulder Creek when it comes out of the canyon you probably won't have much to worry about on BC above the WWTP.

Coors to you Denver and Boulder!

--Andy