North Denver News

By Trish Zornio The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is being challenged by local environmental groups over allegedly lax enforcement standards. The debate centers on whether the state agency has kept adequate oversight of so-called forever chemicals in Suncor Energy’s water discharge permits.  Earthjustice, the organization representing GreenLatinos, Trout Unlimited and the Sierra Club in the administrative... Read more...

By Lexi Lehman While Earth Day takes place April 22, a growing number of North Denver food-oriented businesses embrace eco-minded practices year-round.  A Vital Root employee harvests fresh watercress from the BeatBox Farm. Watercress typically grows only during the spring months, but it can grow year-round in the BeatBox Farm. Photo courtesy of Edible Beats Sustainability has always been a core principle for chef and director... Read more...

By Trish Zornio The South Platte River travels through several industrial areas in the Denver metro area. This stretch near York Street and 64th Avenue runs alongside Metro Water Recovery’s Robert W. Hite Treatment Facility. Photo by Kathryn White Summer is around the corner, and Denver residents are itching to get outside. But before you jump into one of the city’s lakes or streams, you should know there’s still a ban on... Read more...

By Trish Zornio Metro Water Recovery’s Robert W. Hite Treatment Facility. Photo by Kathryn White For years Suncor Energy has dominated local news about air pollution. But what else is causing air pollution in Commerce City?  Based on data from an independent air monitoring study presented by Cultivando last year, hydrogen sulfide could be a significant concern for the region. For those not familiar, hydrogen sulfide is the... Read more...

By Kathryn White Skinner Middle School eighth-graders attended ClimateCon! Jan. 23 courtesy of an environmental justice grant from the Black Parents United Foundation. Photo courtesy of Kassandra Montoya Fifteen eighth-graders from Skinner Middle School filed into an auditorium on the CSU Spur Campus bright and early Jan. 23. And they had done their homework. They were there to attend the first ever ClimateCon! Colorado... Read more...

By London Lyle On Jan. 1, the annual Audubon Christmas Bird count will occur for the 123rd year. Participants will meet in the parking lot just north of the City of Cuernavaca Park at 8:30 a.m. and progress along the South Platte River to Riverside Cemetery. First, they will walk through Commons Park to Confluence Park in Cherry Creek, then drive to Globeville Landing Park. The plan is to stop at the Kind Coffee Shop on 15th Street... Read more...

By Trish Zornio After a spree of highly publicized pollution violations, the Suncor refinery in Commerce City now faces at least three ongoing compliance advisories with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). But according to local leaders, state regulators are taking too long to seek justice. The debate over whether the state is moving quickly enough to address pollution violations is based on evidence... Read more...

By Trish Zornio Cultivando, a nonprofit advocacy group that spearheaded air monitoring near the Suncor Energy refinery, has confirmed they have pulled out of a $500,000 air monitoring grant awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency. The grant was awarded last fall and was expected to extend the air monitoring program for at least one more year. The Executive Director of Cultivando, Olga Gonzalez, stated the decision was based on... Read more...

By Trish Zornio At least one air monitoring site in Commerce City is set to close this month due to a lack of available funds at the state level. The closure comes as Suncor continues to emit high pollutants, prompting two state health warnings in April alone. Cultivando, the community group that oversees the air monitoring efforts, was originally funded in 2021 with two supplemental environmental project grants totaling $1.8 million.... Read more...

By Trish Zornio Debates are intensifying as to whether Suncor meets state requirements after a new pollution monitoring bill took effect in January. House Bill 1189 was passed during the 2021 legislative session and was signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis. Under the bill, Suncor was required to install continuous air monitors along the Commerce City refinery perimeter by Jan. 1. But an agreement over program details has still not been... Read more...