Denver Direct: Asbestos Dumped by Denver Water

Denver Water (DW), our quasi-governmental agency, run by a Board of Commissioners with no water or environmental experience among them, got nailed yesterday for one of its many past sins.

Former employees, with assistance from Adrienne Anderson of CO Watch, went to the site of past dumping of cement-asbestos pipe and other nasty stuff to disclose DW’s latest incompetence.The site just happens to be in the path of our western light-rail corridor.

Takeaway from the video – we still have over 200 miles of cement asbestos pipe in the ground delivering our water while Colorado Springs has banned its use. As for the stuff partially buried at Dry Gulch, one tiny asbestos fiber, kicked up in the dust from a passing light-rail car, can lodge in your lungs and eventually cause cancer.

Denver’s Channel 31, KDVR, also carried the story. Heidi Hemmat seems to be the only reporter in Denver with any interest in environmental issues (all of the local TV and news outlets were sent advance notice of the press conference). She, and her cameraman and editor, did a great job on this story. See for yourself here.

Note to Commissioner Tate: Wouldn’t it be a smart move to hire Anderson as a consultant so she could tell you everything you should know now, rather than wait for it to come in, one lawsuit at a time? After all, she knows more about Denver water than all of the Commissioners put together!

Oh, and by the way, DW voted unanimously this morning to raise your rates.