Contamination of Sand Creek and the South Platte River north of downtown Denver is cause for concern as crews from the Environmental Protection Agency, the state and Suncor Energy work to identify and clean up what is described as a “gasoline-like liquid” that is entering the water from property that is home to a refinery.
According to The Denver Post’s Bruce Finley, tests have shown high concentrations of cancer-causing benzene in Sand Creek as it enters the South Platte. No public health warnings have been issued, but the situation bears watching.
It’s unclear if the latest pollution is linked to “legacy contamination” that has been moving into the ground water and surfacing as vapors near the refinery in recent years. The site has been home to oil refining activities for more than 70 years.
Given its proximity to waterways, it’s important that the company continue to cooperate with officials as they try to determine the the source of the contamination and then rectify the problem.
Atop the wrong rankings. Unable to crack the top 25 in football or basketball, the University of Colorado continues to have little trouble cracking rankings it wants no part of. This time it’s being tabbed “druggiest” college in America by the Daily Beast/Newsweek.
CU for years has been working to minimize its party school image, most recently with the help of student leaders who are discussing moving the annual 4/20 marijuana smoke-out off campus. But as anyone who’s ever thrown a raging college party knows, once it gets started it’s tough to to stop. CU officials are wise to focus on the problem, however, notably through efforts to educate students on the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
Not so fast. Speaking of pot, a new study co-authored by a CU researcher reports that traffic death rates drop in states after they legalize marijuana for medical use. We’ve read enough Freakonomics to know that hidden numbers exist in all sorts of places. But until the study is peer reviewed, count us as skeptical.
Let the sun shine in. This week’s nod to the need for open government comes to us from the Keystone state, where the public and news media are grappling with the a surprising lack of transparency. State law gives Penn State and other schools exemption under state open records laws. The school’s continued refusal to release information should only fuel those who would encourage sunlight.
Short Takes is compiled by Denver Post editorial writers and expresses the view of the newspaper’s editorial board.
