A Report of Water Pollution in the South Platte River Basin February 1953

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BENEFITS RESULTING FROM POLLUTION PREVENTION AND ABATEMENT Substantial reduction of pollution in the South Platte Basin has been effected, yet much remains to be done, Efforts to control inorganic pollution from mining and ore processing operations have resulted in partial clearing and restoration of affected streams to good fish habitat, and to recreational and scenic usefulness, The installation of sewage treatment at Denver has reduced to a considerable degree the odor and nuisance problem in the South Platte River below Denver. Treatment has also lowered the number of pathogenic bacteria in the stream below Denver. Yet, neither sludge banks, nui- sances, nor excessive bacteria counts have been eliminated or diminished to proper limits; however, the situation is much improved over that ex- isting prior to sewage treatments Treatment has improved the quality of stock water and decreased nuisances below Cheyenne. Treatment at many other Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska municipalities has likewise reduced nuisance problems. The major organic pollution of the Basin is the waste products of beet sugar refineries. Removal of this great load of pollution would result in stream improvement during the beet processing season for the entire main stem of the South Platte River and for many of its tribu- taries. The beet sugar refining industry has been active in experimen- tation with various methods of waste treatment and conservation. The most practical of these conservation measures appear to be the drying of the pulp, separation and lagooning of lime wastes, by- products re- covery from the Steffen waste, and reconditioning and reuse of pulp press and flume waters. Pulp press water has been used in lieu of clear water as make -up water for the battery supply, and to dilute molasses in Steffen houses. It is estimated that the organic wastes can be reduced by about 80 percent by these practices. The recovered by- products can be used for livestock feed, fertilizer, and human food. Steffen house discard at Great Western Sugar Company Steffen house plants is shipped to the Johnstown, Colorado, factory where additional sugar products are manufactured, In effect, potential wastes are con- verted to marketable products. A very real, benefit would result if contamination was removed from waters used for irrigation in the Basin. Excessive numbers of intestinal organisms in irrigation water present a very real public health hazard, involving consumers of the truck crops and workers in the fields who must handle the sewage -laden waters. The program recom- mended in this report would substantially reduce the disease - producing potential of irrigation waters of the South Platte Basin. In the Denver area, railroad roundhouse and service shops dis- charge wastes to streams. The cooperative action of the Department of Health and Hospitals, City and County of Denver, has resulted in initi- ation of plans by the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad and the Rio Grande Railroad to reclaim oil for re -use. PLO