Clean Water Action Colorado

CDPHE is hosting a virtual educational meeting on the proposed water permit for Suncor tomorrow, Thursday November 18th at 6:30pm. You can register for the meeting here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0sd-yqqT0iHd0TniGiIC9PSpKudV2JFxlc

Colorado issues tough new draft rules on Suncor to limit runoff of dangerous "forever chemicals" into water Colorado officials have drafted a tough new permit on the Suncor refinery's polluted water discharges, demanding PFAS measures.

https://coloradosun.com/2021/06/01/colorado-conservation-groups-warn-of-river-threats/

Industries could dump more pollution into Colorado rivers under proposed rule change that goes against recommendations Clean water advocates say a state commission is preparing to double down on a bad decision last year that failed to protect Clear Creek and the South Platte, and that a broader ruling may endanger more pristine streams.

Maps of toxic hazards show a wash of chemicals over the Denver metro's north and west edges From Inspiration Point to Elyria Swansea, here's a pretty intimate look at the risks related to the metro's industrial activity.

“You can fish in any body of water. We recommend catch and release,” said Jon Novick, an environmental program administrator for water quality with the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment. “It’s probably not a good idea to eat anything that comes out of an urban lake or out of one of our streams.”

Denver has 29 public-access bodies of water. Which ones can you swim, kayak or fish in? Not everything blue on a map is meant for swimming.

When it comes to addressing PFAS, there are valuable, yet underutilized, Clean Water Act policy tools EPA and states can use to keep these toxic chemicals out of our water.

When it comes to tackling toxic ‘forever chemicals’, the Clean Water Act has many powerful, yet underutilized, policy tools President Biden has pledged to take quick action on toxic fluorinated ‘forever chemicals’ known as PFAS “by designating PFAS as a hazardous substance, setting enforceable limits for PFAS in the Safe Drinking Water Act, prioritizing substitutes through procurement, and accelerating toxicity stu...

Starting tomorrow, Wednesday, February 17th at 6pm, The Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE) is hosting a series of virtual community meetings on Suncor Oil Refinery’s water pollution permits. Both of these permits are up for renewal later this year, and CDPHE staff want to hear from YOU about how they should protect Sand Creek and the South Platte River from Suncor’s pollution, especially its toxic PFAS pollution.

Clean Water Action will be urging CDPHE to set the strictest PFAS discharge limits possible. We hope you can join us at one of these community meetings! If you can't attend tomorrow's meeting, a second meeting is scheduled for February 25th at 6pm. To sign up, visit CDPHE's Suncor permits page:

Suncor Water Quality Permits | Department of Public Health & Environment Updated January 27, 2021 Downloadable files (1/27/2021): Español Suncor's permits Suncor has two permits that limit the pollution they put into Sand Creek, and they are up for renewal in 2021. Permit CO0001147 allows Suncor to put wastewater and groundwater that has been treated into Sand Creek. Pe...

Nestlé’s plan to pump 65 million gallons of Arkansas River water to Denver for bottling stirs contentious fight The world’s largest food and beverage company wants a new 10-year permit to pump 200 gallons of groundwater a minute and truck it to Denver for bottling. Nestlé’s plan has drawn sharp criticism from Chaffee County locals.

"Colorado officials also are stepping up a campaign to contain these unregulated chemicals, declaring efforts to deal with PFAS a top state priority. The latest investigations found elevated levels of PFAS contaminating water in north metro Denver, including Sand Creek near the Suncor Energy oil refinery, as well as foothills sites west of Boulder, the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, and the Buckley and Peterson Air Force bases."

Colorado testing fish in new push to prevent health harm from toxic “forever chemicals” The fish testing begun this month reflects an intensified scramble by Colorado public health officials to minimize human health and environmental harm as PFAS chemicals that don’t easily brea…

"she was part of a six-justice majority that said pollution that travels into waterways via groundwater can be subject to the Clean Water Act. While the high court's new standard was narrower than environmentalists had hoped, it nonetheless opens up companies to new potential liabilities.

Indeed, Ginsburg was a consistent vote in favor of broad Clean Water Act jurisdiction as questions about the reach of the 1972 law became a legal quagmire over the past two decades. Those questions are widely expected to reach the high court again in the coming years."

Ginsburg left a long environmental legacy Ginsburg was also a reliable vote over the decades in favor of environmental protections.

Clean Water Risks of Toxic Algal Blooms DENVER -- Water is the lifeblood of the West, but a warming climate and other factors have put Colorado's lakes, reservoirs and ponds at greater risk for toxic algal outbreaks. Brian Kurzel, regional executive director for the National Wildlife Federation's Rocky Mountain Regional Center, said a rec...

Wildfire haze, record heat and pollution combine to make Denver air quality dangerous for all.

CDPHE recommends residents create a "safe room" in their home to protect against air pollutants.

Wildfire haze, record heat and pollution combine to make Denver air quality dangerous for all Air quality in Denver has deteriorated as residents are barraged with infusions of multiple lung-irritating pollutants — including ozone, which has spiked in recent days to levels 28% above f…

"Earlier this month, federal officials designated 100% of Colorado abnormally dry or in drought for the first time in eight years, and the fourth time during the state’s 20-year shift toward greater aridity.

This reflects a climate-driven combination in Colorado of heat and lack of precipitation that is unleashing myriad new strains on ecosystems, Shumacher said from his base at Colorado State University’s Colorado Climate Center. “Our big picture is changes to the water cycle, and when things start to change in those systems is puts stress on everything. And wildfires are an outcome,” he said."

Climate change is water change.

Climate change hits home in Colorado with raging wildfires, shrinking water flows and record heat Climate scientists emphasized that average temperatures will continue to increase for decades due to humans burning so many fossil fuels — coal, gas and oil — in the past. That means im…