Sand Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed March 25, 2011

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

that flows into the

South Platte River The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River. Flowing through the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska, it is itself a major river of the American Midwestern United States, Midwest and the American Sout ...

near

Commerce City, Colorado The City of Commerce City is a home rule municipality located in Adams County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 62,418 at the 2020 United States Census, a 35.95% increase since the 2010 United States Census. Commerce City is the ...

. From its source in unincorporated

Arapahoe County Arapahoe County may refer to: *Arapahoe County, Colorado *Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory Arapahoe County was a county of Kansas Territory in the United States that existed from August 25, 1855, until Kansas's admission into the Union on January ...

, it flows through the cities of Aurora and

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

before joining the South Platte in Adams County. It is not to be confused with Big Sandy Creek (along which the Sand Creek Massacre occurred), which is over 100 miles to the southeast.

Benzene pollution in Sand Creek

In November 2011, a local fisherman noticed an oily sheen on the surface of Sand Creek. Testing found the water of Sand Creek to be contaminated with abnormally high levels of the aromatic hydrocarbon,

benzene Benzene is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar ring with one hydrogen atom attached to each. Because it contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms, ...

. The source of the benzene was found to be a damaged pipe at the nearby Suncor refinery, which had allowed benzene to seep into the groundwater and surface at Sand Creek. In December 2011, the Colorado Department of Health and Environment began to monitor benzene levels at the junction of Sand Creek and the South Platte River. The results of this monitoring showed benzene levels ranging from 140 ppb to 730 ppb – far above the national limit of 5 ppb, which is set by the

EPA The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...

. Further downriver in the South Platte, benzene levels were also found to be significantly elevated, ranging from 130 ppb to 190 ppb.Finley, Bruce (January 21, 2012)
"Toxics from Suncor refinery spill still seeping into water; Colorado vows to 'accelerate' response"
''The Denver Post''. Although the source of the benzene has been fixed, levels still remain above the EPA standard for drinking water. This is of concern because the South Platte River is drawn on for drinking water by nearby communities and is frequently used for recreational activities such as swimming and fishing.

References

{{authority control Rivers of Adams County, Colorado Rivers of Colorado Tributaries of the Platte River Rivers of Arapahoe County, Colorado

Benzene pollution in Sand Creek

See also

References