South Platte River tests high for fecal matter, city misses clean water goal

The South Platte River as it runs through Denver.(Photo/Library of Congress)

The Denver Post in a great scoop recently broke the story of fecal matter levels in the Platte River being so high the state has put the city on notice.

I predicted this at least two years ago, when I experienced homelessness for a while and came to realize just how dirty that river is. And everything it’s being used for.

Perhaps more alarming than the feces levels in the Platte is that some homeless people drink from it and bathe in it. I have seen this with my own eyes, particularly from a man who claimed he was a veteran.

According to the Post story, E. coli levels are at 137 times the amount allowed by the state. The state is enforcing compliance with the city by issuing a permit scheduled to take effect this month. The permit imposes new requirements.

Denver feels the state is asking for too much too soon. “What the new requirements do is drastically increase the amount of expensive system maintenance beyond what could make a meaningful impact on E. coli concentrations,” city spokeswoman Nancy Kuhn told the Post.

Many people, especially newcomers, don’t stop to think that Denver’s drinking water comes from the Platte. It puts a whole new perspective on water quality, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In an online report about the South Platte Urban Waters Partnership, the EPA outlines Denver’s challenges.

“The South Platte River Urban Waters Federal Partnership strives to protect one of Denver’s primary sources of drinking water, while supporting ongoing on-the-ground projects, education, and research, and facilitating a growing population’s connection to its urban waterways,” the EPA explains. “Water is such a scarce resource in our region, which makes our forested watersheds and waterways even more valuable…. When people understand that their drinking water is tied directly to the health of the South Platte River, it means more to them.”

Clean enough to drink?

If you’ve seen what I’ve seen go into the Platte River, especially behind Salvation Army Crossroads homeless shelter, you would be a little concerned about how they make that water clean enough to drink.

But then I had the same thought in my hometown of Rock Island, Ill. where water came from the muddy Mississippi River.

The Platte River has abundant wildlife, but it is rather polluted in spots. Homeless encampments along the river literally get swept up if the Platte rises quickly. The river is littered with blankets, clothes, and rotten food.

Geese droppings are everywhere, and so are dog droppings. People who walk their animals on the path behind crossroads often don’t pick up after them. Perhaps they don’t feel safe in area with so many homeless people, so they just keep walking.

The area around the Platte is a favorite for people without housing to use as a restroom. They can crouch in dense vegetation. Many people are considerate enough to use a bag and to dispose of it in a trash can. Others leave it as is.

Denver wants all waters swimmable, fishable

On the city website, Denver boasts it planned to have all swimmable and fishable waters by 2020.

It explains what it’s doing already to help save the Platte. That includes:

· Routine maintenance on storm and sanitary sewers “to eliminate cross connections and remove blockages,” the city reports. “To date, the program has successfully reduced the amount of bacteria entering the South Platte River from the City’s storm sewers. It is still too soon to tell how those reductions have affected water quality in the South Platte River.”

· More treatment facilities are needed to ensure storm water runoff is adequately treated. Denver has experienced explosive growth. The city has added concrete in every nook and cranny. Public works has compiled a report on the matter that “has been used to develop an implementation plan which describes and prioritizes opportunities for installation of water quality treatment facilities.” For information on planned projects, go to the Denver Public Works Green Infrastructure webpage.

· The South Platte River and its tributaries are regularly sampled “to determine the impact of urbanization on water quality and to better understand the effectiveness of actions taken by the City to improve water quality,” the city reports. “Monitoring is also conducted to determine if there are any public health risks associated with recreating in streams and lakes in Denver.”

Would you take a dip in the South Platte?

People fish from the Platte River. But should they?

And is it safe to swim in the Platte?

Depends on who you ask. Colorado Public Radio tackled the issue of whether the fish from the Platte are safe to eat. Basically, the answer is no because nobody is testing those fish. What’s more, biologists believe based on the levels of pathogens in the river that eating the fish would be unsafe.

In a Denverite report published before the Post story detailing the contamination levels, the site had determined that no, it’s still “Ill-advised” safe to swim the Platte.

So, it appears Denver hasn’t made its goal of citywide swimmable and fishable waters. It will be up to the state to determine how seriously Denver takes the challenge to clean the South Platte up.

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