South Adams County Water District sues Denver over contamination; East Colfax environment study; Boulder concerned about Xcel; Colorado earns James Beard nominations

Headlines Thursday, January 22, 2026

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    South Adams County Water District sues Denver over contamination; East Colfax environment study; Boulder concerned about Xcel; Colorado earns James Beard nominations KGNU News

 

South Adams County Water District sues Denver over contamination

An Adams County water district has filed a lawsuit against the City of Denver, alleging that firefighting foam from a city training facility has contaminated local water supplies for over 30 years. The South Adams County Water and Sanitation District claims the facility leaked “forever chemicals” into the water used by seventy-five thousand residents in Commerce City and surrounding areas.

Since discovering the contamination in 2018, the district says it has spent tens of millions of dollars on new treatment facilities and clean water imports. The lawsuit centers on Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which the US Food and Drug Administration links to serious health effects and which the district claims have been migrating from Denver’s Roslyn Fire Training Facility since 1991.

The district is now asking a federal judge to hold Denver liable for the massive cleanup costs that remain despite state and federal funding.

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Colorado spends $1 million on East Colfax environment study

State health officials are launching a $1 million study to investigate how environmental factors affect the health of an Aurora neighborhood. The research will focus on East Colfax, specifically the area between Yosemite and Peoria Streets, which is home to roughly 35,000 residents.

In a first-of-its-kind move for the state, researchers will partner with the local nonprofit Black Parents United Foundation to ensure the study reflects the community’s actual concerns. The study will examine how multiple stressors, including traffic pollution, urban heat, and overcrowded housing, combine to impact the physical and mental well-being of the neighborhood.

Funding for the project is partially sourced from fines paid by air quality violators. While the study is prohibited by law from recommending specific bills, its findings are intended to guide policymakers in making more equitable decisions.

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Boulder City Council has ‘major concerns’ about Xcel

The Boulder City Council is scheduled to vote today to send a letter to Robert Kenney, president of Xcel’s Colorado operating company. The letter outlines “major concerns” over the utility’s failure to meet emissions targets, its use of prolonged power shutoffs and rising costs for customers. According to The Boulder Reporting Lab, the draft letter does not say the city is seeking to exit its franchise agreement with Xcel, but details a series of grievances, including Xcel’s reliance on extended power shutoffs as a wildfire prevention tool.

The recent shutoffs in December left thousands of residents without power for days, and local businesses lost tens of thousands of dollars on average, according to the Boulder Chamber.

The letter states the shutoffs are “a consequence of prioritizing litigation avoidance ahead of protecting our community” and that Xcel has eroded the trust of its customers.

The letter also raises concerns about rising energy costs for customers. Xcel has pending cases before the Public Utilities Commission seeking higher electricity and natural gas rates.

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 Colorado has earned 17 James Beard semifinalist nominations 

Colorado has earned 17 James Beard semifinalist nominations. Yesterday, the James Beard Foundation released its list of chefs and restaurateurs who are semifinalists in the annual James Beard Awards, which celebrate the best restaurants, bakeries and bars in America.

The nominations include Tommy Lee, chef and owner of Denver’s Uncle ramen restaurants, Chinese restaurant Hop Alley, and Aurora’s Molino Chido. Lee is up for outstanding restaurateur. Seven Colorado chefs are up for best chef in the mountain region, which includes picks from Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming, including Theo Adley of Marigold in Lyons.

Last year, Boulder’s Frasca Food and Wine won the foundation’s top honor for Outstanding Restaurant, the only prize awarded to Colorado’s nominees.

Winners of the James Beard Awards will be announced in June.

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You can hear daily headlines on the Morning Magazine, KGNU’s weekday morning show with coverage of local and regional public affairs and news with headlines and commentary. Click here to listen to full episodes of the Morning Magazine.

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