Colorado’s rivers and streams are being impaired by pollution from development as well as oil and gas drilling.
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Research released by Environment Colorado shows that our state is continuing a dangerous trend of increasing water pollution over the last eight years. While Colorado should be taking steps to protect our limited water supply, we are moving backwards.
Stronger protections for our waterways are needed to improve water quality as our state grows—but better pollution control requires adequate staffing at the agency that protects our waters, the Water Quality Control Division (WQCD).
We can control the pollution that impairs Colorado’s waterways by addressing major sources: mines, some new, others dating back to the gold rush; and development, both residential and industrial.
Colorado is experiencing rapid residential and industrial growth—and this growth is expected to continue, and probably increase. Our research shows that this growth is taking toll a toll on our water resources.
From 1990 to 2000, Colorado added 1 million new residents and 22 percent more housing units. Residential and urban growth means construction, and construction results in sediment from construction sites flooding our streams. The more forests and meadows that are replaced with asphalt, the more pollution runs off into our waterways, instead of being filtered through the ground.
In addition to increasing development, in 2006 Colorado granted 5,904 permits to drill oil and gas wells. The number of permits is 35 percent higher than in 2005 and 130 percent higher than in 2004.
Since 2003, the WQCD has been about 40 percent understaffed when compared to similar state programs. Environment Colorado is calling for more staff to clean up impaired waterways.
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