10-08-2013 08:52 PM

Tests of Colorado's flooded river basins find E. coli, but no oil and gas pollution


Flooding last month in Colorado left traces of E. coli, but not pollution from oil and gas operations, according to the state health department.




Test results from the Colorado health department indicate there is “no evidence” of pollution from oil and gas spills related to the devastating September floods that destroyed roads, homes and businesses across 4,500 square miles north of Denver.
But the tests did indicate “high levels” of E. coli in some areas of the South Platte River basin, the area that was inundated after days of rain fell in mid-September, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said Tuesday.
Worries about contamination from damaged oil and gas infrastructure was raised in the days following the floods, as pictures of damaged roads and homes mixed with pictures of tipped storage tanks. The floods also ripped pipelines and sewer lines and damaged wastewater treatment plants.
The department took 29 water samples in streams. The locations ranged from the foothills, down the South Platte River, to near the state line.
Said Larry Wolk, executive director and chief medical officer at the department: “Although much attention was focused on spills from oil and gas operations, it is reassuring the sampling shows no evidence of oil and gas pollutants. There were elevated E. coli levels, as we expected, in some locations.”
The highest concentrations of E. coli were sampled in the Boulder Creek and Big Thompson River watersheds, according to the health department.
E. coli indicates human and animal bacteria from untreated sewage that can make people sick, the department said.
However, outbreaks of communicable diseases or illnesses after floods seldom are seen and have not been reported with the recent flooding in Colorado, according to the department.

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Cathy Proctor covers energy, the environment, transportation and construction for the Denver Business Journal and edits the weekly "Energy Inc." newsletter. Phone: 303-803-9233. Subscribe to the Energy Inc. newsletter


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