GOLDEN, Colo. — As people take Colorado's waterways in an effort to beat the heat, Golden officials are noticing a concerning trend when it comes to people visiting Clear Creek: more trash.
"This summer in particular, it's making a huge difference because we're seeing a lot more trash than usual," shared city of Golden Deputy City Manager Carly Lorentz.
According to a Wednesday release from the city, the previous weekend saw 23 code enforcement violations.
"Party trays and large trash are being abandoned on banks of the Creek," officials said in the release. "If a trash can is full, carry your oversized item(s) to a CreekAmbassador Station and one of our Creek Ambassadors will be happy to assist you."
Part of the theory Lorentz and other city leaders have as to why there might be more trash stems from Colorado's drought.
"One of the questions we're asking is maybe it has to do with people kind of hanging out in one spot more instead of maybe moving on the creek as much as they're used to moving with the water," Lorentz said.
Lorentz says throughout the summer, they have been holding cleanup events weekly, with the next one from 7-9 a.m. on Monday, July 27. City officials said 18 volunteers collected trash this past Monday morning.
"For us, it's just a way to really make sure that we're doing our best to help clean up," Lorentz explained.
Environment
Golden asks for more volunteers to help clean up trash left along Clear Creek
Visitors of Clear Creek like Zane Slacum say they love getting out to the water.
"It's a little less hot, and you can jump in when you need to," Slacum told Denver7's Tyler Melito.
But she noted she's seen trash around both the creek and nearby trails.
"I was just on a hike yesterday, and there were a bunch of like people that had left their dog poop bags by the trash can, and it's like, come on, people, just pick up after yourselves, so that we can all keep enjoy these wonderful places," Slacum said.
That's why she is putting an added emphasis on cleaning up.
"You need to keep them special for everyone, so you need to clean up after yourselves so that everyone can enjoy just like you. You enjoyed it when you then left the trash bag," Slacum said.
Other visitors like Jamie Turner note Colorado's beauty, and stress how important it is to preserve it. Turner relayed the message she heard from city officials at Saturday's Buffalo Bills Day Parade.
"Colorado is the outdoor capital of the world and it's so neat to see everybody outside," Turner said. "It was in jest, but [city officials] said if you see anybody throwing litter on the ground to tell the police, and they'll lock them up."
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