The Downtown Aquarium may face regulatory scrutiny for failing to notify the state health department of a leak that is draining 3,000 gallons per day from one of its tanks.
Located in the restaurant at the former Ocean Journey Aquarium, the tank has been leaking for nine months. Jim Prappas, director of biology for aquarium owner Landry’s Restaurants Inc., said crews struggled to locate the source of the leak but have found it and are working to repair it.
“There are so many different areas where we can lose water,” he said. “Three thousand gallons seems like a lot of water, but when you are dealing with a large system like this, even a very small crack can cause a leak of this size.”
Now that the leak has been located, workers will begin repairing it, employing technology commonly used on oil rigs, he said.
The aquarium’s water-quality lab repeatedly conducted tests and found no impact to the South Platte River or the wetlands near the building.
“Certainly, they could have and should have reported this to us sooner,” said Mark Salley of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “We’re pleased to know about it now, but we wish it would have been quite a long time ago when they first learned about the problem.”
The state health department does not plan to test the soil or water at this time.
Landry’s purchased Denver’s Ocean Journey Aquarium in a bankruptcy auction. It completed a $15 million renovation and reopened it as the Downtown Aquarium in 2005.
Staff writer Kristi Arellano can be reached at 303-954-1902 or karellano@denverpost.com.
