Yet another way Aspen acts more like a big city than a town of 6,000 permanent residents is in what it dumps into its local waterway. Heavy commuter traffic, concentrated and high-paced construction activity and a developed ski mountain produce a lot of dirt and junk that, when unimpeded, wash into the Roaring Fork River. At one major downtown outlet, Aspen allows 11 times more sediment to flow into the river than the national average.

To view the full article, visit the Aspen Daily News. For a copy of the original article contact the WIP at (970) 247-1302 or stop by the office at 841 East Second Avenue in Durango.