Group lays blame for fouled water

Inspectors, staff stretched too thin, report asserts

Rocky Mountain News

Friday, September 14, 2007

The water quality of Colorado's rivers and lakes has declined considerably during the last eight years because the state's water control division has a shortage of inspectors to monitor development permits, according to a report released Thursday by an environmental group.

The nonprofit Environment Colorado Research and Policy Center cited data and reports submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency by the state's Water Quality Control Division, policy center official Stephanie Thomas said.

Colorado's water quality declined 31 percent for lakes and 21 percent for rivers and streams, the report said.

The Water Quality Control Division does not have enough inspectors and staff to oversee whether developers and oil and gas drillers are implementing measures to keep sediment, chemicals and debris from entering the state's waterways, said Thomas, clean-water advocate for the organization.

Builders obtain stormwater permits to mitigate any pollutants from entering streams and lakes.

"The division has one-half of one full-time person and that's in comparison to nearly 6,000 permits," Thomas said.

Environment Colorado would prefer not to have taxpayers foot the bill to pay for more water quality inspectors.

Instead, the group would like to see stormwater permit applicants charged higher fees to pay for new employees because they are responsible for discharging pollutants into the water, Thomas said.

The report does not address the state's drinking water.