| District | Name | 13. What would you do to protect and enhance waterways flowing through Denver? |
| 1 | Amanda Sandoval | |
| 1 | Sarah Truckey | Decrease the ability of corporations to use and commodify the water, increase protections for waterways via limits on commercialization of land and increase of major throughways for transportation along waterways that increases pollution and decreases the ability of greenspace along waterways. Transportation planning should not occur at the determent of clean and useable water. |
| 2 | Kevin Flynn | Revitalize our riparian zones with natural vegetation to filter runoff; work with Mile High Flood District to strengthen stream banks; efficiently and effectively manage the Army Corps of Engineers’ project to restore South Platte River conditions. |
| 3 | Jamie Torres | Please see above answer regarding the South Platte River. |
| 4 | Tony Pigford | We need to clean up the Platte River, and stop the polluters like Suncor from putting PFAS and other dangerous chemicals into the water. |
| 5 | Amanda Sawyer | We need to reactivate our waterways and better connect them to the rest of the City so that they can be enjoyed by residents. The way Denver built up over time, most of our waterways are in formerly industrial areas and badly contaminated. Denver needs to clean them up and reconnect them to neighborhoods. I am pleased that the Federal Government has invested funds to do some of that work on Denver’s west side, but we also need to do similar work on Cherry Creek. |
| 5 | Michael Hughes | We have turned our backs on our waterways. New public access to the South Platte as part of the National Western Complex redevelopment demonstrates that we are beginning to see the error – if we embrace these waterways as the incredible opportunity they are for public access and recreation, we will create a constituency for their protection in the long term. |
| 6 | Paul Kashmann | Continue to lobby Congress for the massive funding needed to ensure our waterways continue to recover from decades of neglect before groups like the Greenway Foundation began their good work. |
| 7 | Nick Campion | I will work with the city to commit to the Denver One Water Plan and create a policy that will deliver fishable, swimmable status in Denver’s waters. |
| 7 | Adam Estroff | I would work to reduce traffic by providing more investment in our public transportation systems. We need to prioritize our greenways and keep green space front of mind while reimagining our city’s land use code. Emissions and tire waste are a large source of pollution in Denver waterways |
| 7 | Guy Padgett | A few things come to mind. First off, we must continue to monitor and improve or storm drainage systems to make sure that as few pollutants reach our waterways. This will require ongoing reduction of ornamental plantings such as grass lawns and the associated use of herbicides and fertilizer. Second, wherever possible, we must develop the banks of our waterways to incorporate native planting and other flood-mitigating features alongside paths and other public amenities. Any private development alongside our waterways must be encouraged to do the same. Lastly, there should be a continued effort to create bridges over our waterways to connect our neighborhoods via biking and walking while simultaneously educating our residents about the presence and importance of these natural features. |
| 7 | Arthur May | Denver’s founding was because of its waterways and it is part of our history. I would work to bring that back to the conversation that the S. Platte and Cherry Creek, our gulches and canals are a rich part of our history and would want that to show in our investments. |
| 8 | Shontel Lewis | |
| 9 | Candi CdeBaca | Promoting and legislating around practices that pollute our waterways is a good step, seeking funding for continued remediation of contaminated waterways, public education and awareness of needs and solutions, incentivizing good behavior and partnerships to enhance and protect waterways. Additionally, but on the topic of water, I think we need to address the structure of Denver Water and return it to a city agency vs an independent agency with mayorally appointed board. This would allow us to understand the role of waterways on potable water. |
| 10 | Margie Morris | Water is our most precious resource. I want to make sure we are doing everything to protect our water by conserving it, reclaiming 100%, and finding ways of using less of it. I would ensure we have knowledgeable stakeholders who can convey and relay the needs of Denver’s waterways at a regional level to ensure we get our fair share of inflow without preventing any natural outflow for our neighbors. |
| 10 | Noah Kaplan | As an educator, this starts with rebuilding our afterschool programs that help monitor and protect our rivers and watersheds in Denver. When students learn about the complex ecosystem in Denver, they will become better stewards of our city. Cherry Creek flows on the border of District 10, and our city has historically done a great deal to improve and protect our confluence point. I want to look into ways the city can enhance our stormwater drainage to ensure more water stays in our watershed and that we can look into new recreational and activation opportunities along the waterways. The loches remain unused, and a generation has no memory of their purpose. When we give the waterway more focus, we will all do better to protect and enhance it for the future. We can also supplement high water run-off areas with living soil to help with water filtration and retention. |
| 10 | Shannon Hoffman | I would prioritize preventing more runoff from new developments. Additionally, I would seek funding for community education and youth-led programming to promote waterway health and prevent waterway pollution. I would support community activation events in open space areas/parks near waterways that build neighbors’ personal connections to them – this could include supporting groups like Headwaters Protectors, which provides compassionate water and trash service to unhoused neighbors to also divert trash from our streams. We can leverage city dollars to provide bathrooms and trash service that will scale these solutions to meeting the needs of our city. |
| At-Large | Sarah Parady | We haven’t done a great job defending Denver’s waterways as a City, and one tool I would support greater use of is the city’s status as an environmental plaintiff, where the city can sue to stop polluters and protect the broader community. |
| At-Large | Marty Zimmerman | The first thing I would like to do is to make the areas around them safer, by addressing the issues facing our homeless population to get people off the streets and keep them from becoming homeless. The second thing I would like to do is implement the Denver One Water Plan, which will restore habitats, provide flood protection, and create more inviting spaces for plants, animals, and people. The program will also directly benefit some of Denver’s most vulnerable and under-resourced neighborhoods and advance Denver’s goals for enhanced mobility and equity. |
| At-Large | Penfield Tate III | While on the board of Denver Water, I worked extensively with Denver to help establish the Confluence Park project and to improve water flows on Cherry Creek and through the Highline Canal. The Highline Canal was particularly important as it was a multi-jurisdictional effort that was undertaken but has yet to be completed. Regional cooperation is essential to protect and enhance waterways flowing through Denver. Recent developments and articles regarding the plight of the Colorado River and its impact on Lower Basin states illustrate the need for more expansive regional conversations about preserving, protecting, and maintaining not just water flows, but the availability of water for rural and urban communities in the basin states. |
| At-Large | Jeff Walker | I would support adding more trash bins near intersections and at bus stops where trash collects and gets washed into the storm sewer system. I would also support restoring habitat along the waterways as much as possible to filter pollutants that flow across the surface of the banks. I will and have participated in clean up activities along the South Platte River. |
