Suncor’s ‘forever chemicals’ pouring into metro Denver rivers spike again

BY MICHAEL BOOTH THE COLORADO SUN

Discharges of water tainted with PFAS “forever chemicals” from the Suncor re nery spiked again in May, an environmental watchdog group said, following high readings in November and January.

Suncor, which has used re ghting foam containing PFAS chemicals for years on the sprawling Commerce City property, reported May discharges into Sand Creek at 218 parts per trillion of variants of the chemicals known as PFOS, PFOA and PFNA, according to Earthjustice attorneys. e group monitors Suncor’s required reporting to state water quality regulators.

Immediately after leaving Suncor, the discharged water is carried by Sand Creek into the South Platte River as it ows through Adams County. e May discharge peaks were more than three times the PFAS limits proposed in a 2022 draft renewal permit written by state regulators to cover Suncor’s water discharges.

e report shows Suncor’s “continuing inability to reliably treat their PFAS to meet even the division’s proposed 70 parts per trillion limit, and that limit is still way too high and based on outdated information,” Earthjustice attorney Caitlin Miller said. “Suncor’s continued failure negatively impacts Sand Creek and the South Platte River.” e thousands of variations of PFAS chemicals are used in countless consumer and industrial products for water and stain resistance, among other functions. ey were used for

Neither Suncor nor state regulators responded to new questions about the high discharge readings from May.

SEE CHEMICALS, P4

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