Metro Receives National Award for South Platte River Improvements

South Platte River with constructed riffles

DENVER, Colo. – Metro Water Recovery is receiving a National Environmental Achievement Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies for the South Platte River Aquatic Life/Habitat Improvements Project. Honorees will be recognized in February at NACWA’s winter conference in Sonoma, CA.


The main goal of the project is to increase dissolved oxygen levels and improve aquatic life habitat for native fish communities. Examples of completed work are visible from some of the bike/walking paths along the South Platte River:

  • Riffles that create foraging and spawning habitat for native fish
  • Boulder clusters that provide protective cover and create micro-pools and eddies
  • Trees and shrubs that provide aquatic shade and riparian vegetation

The six-phase project is an example of a long-term collaborative effort with cost-saving regional benefits. Metro wrapped up Phase IV of the 20-year project in 2018. Phase V launched late last year.

To learn more about the project and Metro’s role as a steward of the environment, join the water quality team at a river sampling location. You will have an opportunity to see regularly scheduled work – which includes river monitoring from Metro’s outfalls all the way to the Nebraska border.

When:            February 7, 2023

Where:           South Platte River, Colorado Blvd. & 88th Ave.

Time:              8 A.M. to 4 P.M.

Who:              Senior Water Quality Scientist Jordan Parman

About Metro Water Recovery 

Metro Water Recovery was formed under Colorado law in 1961. Metro is the largest resource recovery and clean water agency in the Rocky Mountain West, serving approximately 2.2 million people in an 805 square-mile area. In partnership with 61 local governments, comprised of cities, counties, sanitation districts, and water and sanitation districts, we clean millions of gallons of water every day to be suitable for agriculture, aquatic life, recreation, and water supply.

Download a PDF of this press release here.

Contact

For any questions about this release, please contact:

Amy Lovatt, Public Information Specialist

  • Email: ALovatt@mwrdev.allterrainwebsites.com
  • Phone: 720-400-8633 or 719-661-8048