DETECTABLE CONCENTRATIONS MEASURED IN THE CACHE LA POUDRE RIVER

Cache La Poudre River sample collection points and area designations.

In Colorado, Yang and Carlson (2003) have reported tetracycline and sulfonamide levels in the Cache la Poudre River and have concluded that there are both urban and agricultural influences on the occurrence of antibiotics in the river.

Results:

At the five sites along the Poudre River that were monitored, the only site at which no antibiotics were detected was the pristine site in the mountains before the river had encountered urban or agricultural landscapes. By the time the river had exited Fort Collins (Site 3), 6 of the 11 compounds that were monitored were found in the samples. At Site 5 in Greeley, CO where the river converges with the South Platte River, all five of the tetracyclines monitored were present indicating both urban and agricultural influences.

Project Collaborators: Dr. Kenneth Carlson, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Colorado State University and Dr. Amy Pruden, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, CSU.

Link to Full Text: December 2004 "From the Ground Up, Agronomy News "

Link to Recent Fort Collins Coloradoan News Article: Pill dump imperils water's quality

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