Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government

Colorado air pollution regulators are so behind that they didn’t get around to a hearing on one company’s permit for 13 years

In March 2009, a Western Slope oil company filed an application for a state air emissions permit for its wastewater treatment facility. On Thursday, state regulators got around to holding a hearing on that permit — about almost 13 years behind schedule. “We are asking for the same thing we asked for 13 years ago, […]

Posted inCOVID, Health, News, Technology

Your poop may soon serve as an early warning system for Colorado coronavirus outbreaks

Toilets from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs will soon become important tools in Colorado’s efforts to establish an early warning system for the novel coronavirus. The state of Colorado has committed half a million dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds for a year-long pilot program to test sewage. The testing will pinpoint COVID-19-carrying genetic fragments […]

Posted inCOVID, Environment, Health, News

Colorado sewage treatment plants are examining your poop for coronavirus clues. Seriously.

For 24 hours starting early every Sunday morning, small pipes suck samples from the river of sewage flowing into the South Platte Water Renewal Partners wastewater treatment plant in Englewood for 24 hours. The tubes deposit the raw sewage into containers inside a box that resembles a mini fridge. Goggled, masked and gloved workers then […]

Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, COVID, Environment, Health, News, Politics and Government

When skiing stopped, so did pooping. Wastewater workers in Aspen and Vail faced a pile of problems.

On March 15, the day after ski resorts in Colorado were ordered to close, water treatment workers in Vail and Aspen scrambled to deal with a drastic drop in wastewater flowing into plants.  “In Vail, our staff had to basically turn off two-thirds of the plant in only four days,” said Diane Johnson with the […]