While it might not be obvious on a pristine summer day, Aspen still has a serious pollution problem. The town’s aging infrastructure can’t handle stormwater runoff adequately. The Roaring Fork River through Aspen is severely degraded. Between 22,000 and 24,000 cars and trucks each day cross the Castle Creek Bridge and have done so since 1999. Poisonous carbon dioxide emissions are being pumped into the air by jets at the airport and by cars and trucks on the road. And debris from construction projects accounts for about 25 percent of the waste and pollutants being poured into the landfill each year. The reality that Aspen’s tourism and second-home economy does in fact have negative environmental impacts is revealed in a new draft “existing conditions” report on Aspen’s environment prepared as part of an update to the Aspen Area Community Plan.

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