The angler who first reported the black goo oozing into Sand Creek and the South Platte River has been named Denver Trout Unlimited Chapter’s first “Hero of the South Platte.”
During a ceremony Tuesday night, Trevor Tanner received a plaque honoring him for his dedication to protecting the urban South Platte River and the chapter debuted its laminated, wallet-sized “spill or kill” reporting cards.
Tanner was fly fishing for carp on the South Platte the morning of Nov. 27 when he noticed an oily sheen and a foul odor on the river.
Tanner wanted to report the spill, but found himself frustrated as he stood on the river bank, scratching phone numbers into the mud as he called other anglers for ideas about where to report.
He was eventually able to report the spill to state and Tri-County health departments, but left the experience wanting to make it easier for others.
Tanner suggested Trout Unlimited develop an emergency response card ” that fly fishers or anyone spending a lot of time along the river could use to make a call if they saw something wrong in the water.”
With the help of Environmental Protection Agency emergency response manager Curtis Kimbel — the first on the scene to verify the spill — a plastic wallet sized “Spill or Kill Reporting Card” was developed and produced in less than 20 days. The group handed out 150 cards on Tuesday night and has sent 100 more on to the West Denver and Cutthroat Chapters of Trout Unlimited.
Newly elected Denver Trout Unlimited President Cory Stansbury said that the chapter plans to distribute the cards to Denver Area fly shops and Trout Unlimited Chapters.
“This card has everything I needed,” Tanner said in a Trout Unlimited news release. “One number, 800-424-8802, right on the front, a list of what to look for on the back and if I have a Twitter connection, the hashtag #SPspill, that will get the attention of other TU members @denvertu and keep them up to speed on what is going on.”
Kimble said the card is also useful to people on other waterways.
“Often a tanker spill on a back country road or a fish kill goes four days before we find out. By that time major damage has been done. With this card in hand, a trout fisher on the stream can give us a four-day head start and possibly prevent the oil from even reaching the creek. We have the emergency response teams ready. We just need to know where they are needed as rapidly as possible.”
Kimbel said the toll-free number on the front of the card is the National Response Center for pollution emergencies and is actually a 24-hour nationwide hotline run by the U.S. Coast Guard. They will notify all relevant federal, state, and local agencies immediately and call back the reporting party within 30 minutes.
If there is an immediate life or injury threatening emergency 911 should be called first. This is clearly stated on the front of the card.
