WildEarth Guardians

Thursday, May 29, 2014
Pollution Threatens Clean Water on Eastern Plains of Colorado

Guardians Files Suit to Curb Illegal Discharges
Contact: Jen Pelz 303-884-2702

DENVER–WildEarth Guardians filed suit today in federal court to protect fish, wildlife and the public from exposure to pollutants being illegally discharged into the South Platte River near Fort Morgan, Colorado by the Western Sugar Cooperative’s sugar beet processing facility.

“It is time this facility stops discharging dangerous pollutants into the South Platte River and starts complying with the mandates of its Clean Water Act permit,” said Jen Pelz, wild rivers program director at WildEarth Guardians. “Colorado communities from the western slope to the eastern plains expect rivers to invite recreation, not harbor health risks.”

The Western Sugar facility operates from September to March each year processing sugar beets 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. During this time, the facility produces 1,500,000 pounds of sugar per day and discharges millions of gallons of wastewater per day into unlined ponds located adjacent to the river.

The proximity of the pollution to Riverside Park and the historic Rainbow Bridge near Fort Morgan is of particular concern as these landmarks serve as important recreational amenities in the area and provide habitat for over 80 species of migratory or overwintering birds. The pollutants illegally discharged by Western Sugar (e.g. fecal coliform) pose a health risk to humans, aquatic organisms and the environment.

The level of fecal coliform—bacteria associated with fecal waste of humans or other animals that indicates the presence of pathogens in the water—discharged by the facility into the unlined ponds when it is operating has been reported as high as 5,500 times above the permitted level.

“The public should be aware of the threat these discharges pose to their health and the health of the environment,” added Pelz. “Western Sugar needs to step into the 21st century and update or install the necessary pollution control technology used by other sugar beet processing facilities throughout the country. It is not acceptable for Western Sugar to continue to profit from its operations at the expense of the public.”

WildEarth Guardians filed this lawsuit as a part of its broader campaign to protect and restore clean and healthy waterways throughout the front range of Colorado. This is the second suit filed by Guardians on the South Platte this spring.