| District | Name | 11. The use of recycled water in Denver parks is apparently causing the premature loss of many mature evergreens. How would you address the adverse effects of recycled water use on park trees? |
| 1 | Amanda Sandoval | Unfortunately, City Council doesn’t have any purview over the use of recycled water, which is a function of the Mayor and their Park and Rec appointed executive director. |
| 1 | Sarah Truckey | We need to ensure that the plant species we are supporting in parks is reasonable for the climate we exist in. Watering, and over watering, to support invasive species is not only killing our native species, but is also overusing water that should be prioritized for both the sustainability of native green spaces, as well as personal use for the sustainability of native plants and food producing gardens. |
| 2 | Kevin Flynn | I would push the new administration to authorize a comprehensive analysis and study of the effects, and recommend a course of action to follow. |
| 3 | Jamie Torres | I am open to learning more about this. |
| 4 | Tony Pigford | We need to take care of older trees, they provide a great deal of community benefits and cannot be easily replaced. From my limited understanding, there are some ways to mitigate the impacts of recycled water’s higher sodium and chloride levels, like the use of a sodium blocker chemical in the park irrigation system, or simply by using potable water instead of recycled water for trees. |
| 5 | Amanda Sawyer | We have this problem in Lowry and I have been working with the neighborhood organization, the City Forester, and Denver Water to determine how to address this challenge. It turns out, it is actually kind of complicated because there are several issues at play. |
| 5 | Michael Hughes | We need to understand the chemistry and if this is the cause, then, of course, we need to either treat the recycled water to a higher standard or change the water source |
| 6 | Paul Kashmann | The next Mayor needs to work with DPR and the city Forester to assess the pros and cons of using purple pipe water in our parks and mitigate the negative impacts. |
| 7 | Nick Campion | I would work with the Dept of Parks and Rec, experts in the field, and local universities to come up with solutions to address this issue. |
| 7 | Adam Estroff | I would work with the Climate Action, Sustainability & Resiliency office to ensure we are taking initiatives for tree health. |
| 7 | Guy Padgett | I strongly believe in the long-term necessity of using gray water as a source of irrigation for our parks and open spaces. But when that irrigation starts killing the very assets that we value in our open space, something needs to change. Not knowing the specifics of Denver’s situation, but being quite familiar with gray water operations from my experience as a councilman and mayor, it would appear that further scientific evaluation of our gray water treatment system needs to occur. Only then can we start to evaluate what changes and investments need to take place. |
| 7 | Arthur May | I would want to understand how may years that premature loss is relative to non-recycled water. If the gap is significant, I would want to understand the difference in water costs vs. planting more trees. I would do this with the input of RNOs. |
| 8 | Shontel Lewis | By listening to experts whose knowledge around the preservation of nature evergreens can be platformed to solve the problem of recycled waters effects. |
| 9 | Candi CdeBaca | I am unaware of this but would like to see more data regarding this information and perhaps we can get to the root of the issue. It seems strange but I need to understand the science and options before proposing any ideas. |
| 10 | Margie Morris | As a city facing chronic drought conditions, we must look at the way Denver manages its water completely differently from how we use it today. On the issue of trees dying prematurely, I believe we need to bring in tree experts to test and teach us about the water properties and how they are effecting the survivability of ourl trees. Water is our most precious resource, and we need to figure out how we conserve it, use less of it, and reclaim 100% of it. |
| 10 | Noah Kaplan | I have spent the last seven years in Denver’s East High School, talking with students about sustainability and the future of our city. I am not an arborist, so I want to speak to the city’s team of experts and better understand the problem, the solutions available, and the cost impacts of the options. We have to recognize that sustainability is a challenging goal to achieve. It requires compromise, long-term planning, and occasionally adjusting the status quo to protect the environment around us. I want to rebuild our tree canopy in Denver and invite experts from around the world to help us accomplish it. We must work with Denver Water and the city’s Parks and Recreation Department to understand precisely why recycled water poses such a threat to mature trees and to find ways of getting upstream of that issue. With the planned increase in organic waste diversion through Waste No More, we also have an excellent opportunity to produce living soil from the city’s organic waste. With strong inter-agency partnerships between parks and DOTI, we can utilize this influx of fertilizer produced by residents’ waste to supplement yards, parks, and gardens with living soil. A campaign to regularly increase our parks with living soil can help with water retention, essential nutrients for plant life, and water filtration. |
| 10 | Shannon Hoffman | I will commit to plant other native tree species that are more resistant to certain chemicals that are higher in recycled water; add or continue adding sodium “blocker” chemical to regular irrigation system; continue/start program of periodic supplemental irrigation using potable water once a week during warm months; and investigate ongoing chemical tests of water, soil and tree tissue. |
| At-Large | Sarah Parady | I’ve recently learned that the higher sodium in the recycled water is likely what causes this premature loss. Trees, especially mature trees, serve important purposes in our natural and social ecosystems, reducing urban heat island effects and improving air quality. If more potable water is available for use instead of recycled water, the health and environmental benefits are likely worth the added cost to the city budget. |
| At-Large | Marty Zimmerman | I understand why the City is using gray water for parks. In the short term, I would identify which parks are being affected by this effort. Then I will prioritize changing the composition of our parks from Kentucky Blue grass to native grasses which will reduce the need for watering in the park and allow us to assess whether we need to use recycled water at all. This will take time and money, so the transition will happen over time which is why I focused on the prioritization first. |
| At-Large | Penfield Tate III | I served as counsel for Colorado State University (CSU)in framing the 100-year plan for the National Western. I’m proud of the groundbreaking joint venture between Colorado State University and Denver Water that developed extensive water quality testing facilities at Hydro Lab at the new Spur Building. Experts from this facility should be included in the conversation. Finally, I currently serve as the Chief Environmental Justice officer of a technology company that is focused on monitoring air quality emissions and appreciate the need measure, evaluate and find solutions to preserve the planet and our parks. |
| At-Large | Jeff Walker | I would look to civil engineers, biologists, arborists and chemists to determine the actions to take, either through safe chemical additives or filtration systems, to prevent the loss of trees. |
