E. Coli Water Contamination Mystery In Colorado

Trained by the EPA, a pair of students at Metropolitan State University is trying to solve a water contamination mystery. 

"Why is there so much E. coli? Where is it coming from?" Stephen Aderholdt, one of the students, said to the Denver Post. 

E. coli levels at Bear Creek in Colorado are nearly 20 times over state limits, the report said. Government agencies have labeled the creek "impaired" since 2008, but student data is helping expand the investigation, according to the report. Local cities including Lakewood and Denver could face Clean Water Act penalties if the issue is not resolved. 

"The Metro State students conduct tests at 18 locations twice a month. They started in May 2013. The work can be difficult, clambering up and down muddy banks, kicking through ice during winter," the report said. 

But even with government input and the effort by the students, it remains unclear where the contamination is coming from. 

"This is a vexing problem because Bear Creek begins as a clear, clean trickle in wilderness snow atop 14,271-foot Mount Evans, visible to residents around metro Denver. The creek cascades through forests unsullied," the report said. 

That condition changes, however, as the water moves along its path. 

"Starting in the foothills near Evergreen, pristine water reaches suburban homes, roads, reservoirs, septic tanks, parks used by dog-walkers, golf courses and commercial sites. Denver Environmental Health water quality scientist Jon Novick, a public health analyst, said contamination is worst as Bear Creek approaches the South Platte River, which also is contaminated with E. coli and other pollutants," the report said. 

There are a few clues as to where the contamination might originate. 

"We know dogs are involved and that humans are involved," EPA project manager Karl Hermann said in the report. "We don't have wastewater treatment plants along Bear Creek. If there's a human element, it may be septic systems that are not working quite right. We have a number of other possibilities." 

"This is not something we can solve in a two- or five-year period," Rachel Hansgen, a Groundwork Colorado manager, said in a previous Denver Post article. "It's not just about E.coli. It's about trash, oil, grease and fertilizers; there are lots of different contaminants that make urban water dirty." Groundwork Colorado is a non-profit sustainability group. 

According to the EPA, E. coli levels can be measured using simple kits readily available on the market and an incubator. Samples can also be collected and sent to a laboratory for analysis. 

Check out Water Online's Drinking Water Contaminant Removal Solution Center.