Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Sand Creek Petroleum Not Going Away Anytime Soon

While out fishing Sunday February 19th I visited the South Platte below the Sand Creek confluence for a look-see and it was not good.  The low flows had created a shallow still pool under the 270 bridge.  This is what I found in that pool:

Oil Slick In Denver South Platte Feb 2011
Still Signs of Petroleum In The South Platte!
I also saw several fist to football sized pieces of sheen floating in the main current a couple hundred feet downriver.  I have been back several times now and this is the most easily seen visual indicators of petroleum I have seen since Day 1 almost three months ago.  I have no idea if there has been difficulty with containment or if this is residual benzyne working it's way up from the stream-bed.

I know that it is going to take a long time for everything to be OK, but it was still disappointing.

3 comments:

  1. MCtage,

    What is the real crux of the matter is the determination by all the powers to be that this never happens again and that independent parties as well as govt. agencies insure compliance with better environmental protections. I still hope for you all that spring run off will help greatly.

    Gregg

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  2. What a mess McTage. Hope it improves soon.

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  3. Gregg - This is intensionally an apolitical blog, but somehow I am afraid it will go in the other direction.
    Mr. P - Yup a mess for sure. Imrpovement will be incremental and slow unless runoff takes the shit downhill. The EPA guy who finally got things going seems to thing there will be work going on related to the discharge for years.

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