Who’s testing the tap water in Cañon City? Not the agencies responsible for cleaning up the toxic plume from the Cotter Uranium Mill.

Coloradosun · May 18, 2026 · 1591 words · By Sue McMillin; Dana Coffield

Environmental Contamination Public Health Risks Government Inaction vs. Community Initiative

open_in_new Read the original article: https://coloradosun.com/2026/05/18/cotter-superfund-lincoln-park-water-testing/

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

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Doubt 60% confidence

Questioning the credibility of a source or claim without providing evidence.

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Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

16 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 6

info Single Source 4

verified Verified By Reference 2

cancel Disputed 1

verified Verified 1

check_circle Corroborated 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

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“Lincoln Park Superfund site where more than 5 million tons of radioactive waste is buried”

DISPUTED

The claim states 'more than 5 million tons', but the ProPublica evidence mentions 'more than 250 million tons' of toxic and radioactive detritus. While the site's existence and radioactive nature are verified, the specific tonnage is contradictory across sources.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Skyway Park is a 32-acre (13 ha) park being developed in Jersey City, New Jersey on the Hackensack River, partly under the Pulaski Skyway, from which it takes its name. The brownfield land was the sit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyway_Park

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lincoln Park is a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Fremont County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Cañon City, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. The populatio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Park,_Colorado

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of Superfund sites in the U.S. State of Colorado designated under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) environmental law. The CERC…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Superfund_sites_in_Col…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

“Colorado health officials have since 2004 tested 32 wells on private property in what is suspected to be a toxic groundwater plume near the site south of town that was home to the Cotter Uranium Mill.”

SINGLE SOURCE

Web results confirm that Colorado health officials have cited the mill for releases and that a 2014 health assessment found hazards in drinking water wells, but the specific detail about '32 wells tested since 2004' is not explicitly corroborated by the provided evidence snippets.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — General Atomics (GA) is an American energy and defense corporation headquartered in San Diego, California, that specializes in research and technology development in the fields of nuclear energy, unma…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Atomics

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of last words uttered by notable individuals during the 20th century (1901–2000). A typical entry will report information in the following order: Last word(s), name and short …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_last_words_(20th_centu…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The American subprime mortgage crisis was a multinational financial crisis that occurred between 2007 and 2010, contributing to the 2008 financial crisis. It led to a severe economic recession, with m…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subprime_mortgage_crisis

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“in late April, dozens of Fremont County residents dropped off more than 220 test tubes of water drawn from their taps, wells, springs, ponds and irrigation ditches to have it tested for heavy metals and radioactive elements.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of general definitions of heavy metals and unrelated Wikipedia entries. There is no evidence regarding the collection of 220 test tubes in Fremont County.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — State Route 84 (SR 84) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that consists of two unconnected segments, one in the San Francisco Bay Area and the other primarily in the Sacramento–San Joa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_84

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Independence Rock is a large granite rock, approximately 130 feet (40 m) high, 1,900 feet (580 m) long, and 850 feet (260 m) wide, which is in southwestern Natrona County, Wyoming, United States, al…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Rock

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Newaygo County ( nə-WAY-goh) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 49,978. The county seat is White Cloud. The county was created in 1840, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newaygo_County,_Michigan

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

“Colorado Citizens Against Toxic Waste (CCAT), a Cañon City-based nonprofit, teamed with the Veterans for Peace and the Arthur S. Ratcliffe Mobile Community Lab to offer the testing”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence provided for this claim refers to the 'Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT)', which is a pre-employment test, not the nonprofit organization mentioned in the claim.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of some schools in the state of Georgia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_schools_in_Georgia_(U.…

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web search NEUTRAL — The CCAT ® is a pre-employment aptitude test that measures an individual's aptitude, or ability to solve problems, digest and apply information, learn new skills, and think critically.
https://www.criteriacorp.com/assess/cognitive-aptitude/crite…

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web search NEUTRAL — The CCAT (Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test) is a pre-employment assessment used by employers to measure how quickly and accurately you solve problems. It includes 50 questions covering math, logic, ve…
https://prepopedia.com/free-ccat-practice-test/

+ 1 more evidence source

verified

“the Superfund site was declared in 1984”

VERIFIED

The Cotter/Lincoln Park Site was explicitly stated to have been added to the EPA's National Priorities List (making it a Superfund site) in 1984.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info

“state water test before its testing facilities were shut down in late 2024 because of faulty testing”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence discusses water crises in the Upper Basin and general water testing tools, but contains no information about Colorado state testing facilities shutting down in late 2024 due to faulty testing.

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web search NEUTRAL — No, the Upper Basin states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming have emerged as the main obstacles to a fair deal. They’ve gummed up negotiations by refusing to accept mandatory cuts of any amoun…
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/opinion/water-shortage-co…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Colorado Secretary of State's website has a business name availability...
https://www.coloradosos.gov/biz/BusinessEntityCriteriaExt.do

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web search NEUTRAL — Как проводить измерения питьевой, аквариумной и прочей воды tds метром tds 3 Water Test? Как пользоваться прибором tds метром, требуется ли его калибровать, что означают показания прибора солемера ― ч…
https://water-test.su/article/kak-polzovatsya-tds-3-metrom-w…

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“The Cotter Corporation milled uranium at the 2,600-acre site 2 miles south of Cañon City and adjacent to the Fremont County community of Lincoln Park from 1958 to 2011.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the Cotter Corporation operated a uranium mill on a 2,600-acre site south of Cañon City, opening in 1958. One source explicitly mentions the 2,600-acre size and the 1958 start date.

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web search NEUTRAL — Lincoln Park,[40] adjacent to the Cotter Corporation uranium mill at Canon City in Fremont County. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is supervising cleanup of waste from previous operations. Th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium_mining_in_Colorado

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web search NEUTRAL — The 2,600-acre uranium mill opened in 1958.Cotter also produced yellowcake at the Cañon City mill, which is the product of milling uranium ore. The EPA said the mill operations and disposal practices …
https://krdo.com/news/2023/06/20/concerns-with-cleanup-of-to…

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web search NEUTRAL — Sound solution? CAÑON CITY - Radioactive, contaminated, Superfund waste. Such terms, all accurate, describe the 470,000 tons of waste from Maywood, N.J., that Cotter would like to bring to Canon City …
https://www.ccatoxicwaste.org/critical-mass

info

“A 1988 settlement between Cotter and Colorado led to some early cleanup actions, including connecting Lincoln Park residents to Cañon City’s water, tailings and soil cleanup at various sites and construction of a groundwater barrier at the north end of the mill property.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence mentions a lawsuit settlement and general cleanup, but does not specifically confirm the 1988 settlement details regarding connecting residents to city water or the construction of a groundwater barrier.

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web search NEUTRAL — Ershadi: The lawsuit settlement directed the city or successor to use “commercially reasonable efforts” to obtain the state health department’s approval of the cleanup application within one year.
https://www.cpr.org/2026/05/14/toxic-contaminants-near-ameri…

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web search NEUTRAL — Static side-by-side examples help visitors verify the exact cleanup result before uploading their own files.Works with all standard Gamma exports including PDF and PowerPoint files.
https://gammaremover.top/

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web search NEUTRAL — GIF Watermark Removal and AI Video Cleanup. Repeated watermarks, labels and logos in GIFs and AI-generated clips can also be removed directly, helping you keep the sequence usable for editing, sharing…
https://sora2watermarkremover.net/

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“In 2002, the EPA declared that soil remediation in Lincoln Park was complete.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim.

info

“The mill continued operations until 2006 and shut down completely in 2011.”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result mentions 'Cotter closed the mill permanently in 2011', which aligns with the claim, but there is no second independent source provided to corroborate the 2006 operational date.

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“In 2014, Cotter was ordered to conduct a remedial investigation and cleanup plan for the mill site under Superfund laws.”

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“there are at least four wells in the Lincoln Park area that continue to exceed safe levels for uranium, according to the most recent quarterly test report.”

PENDING

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“Two test sites on the Arkansas River, at the First Street Bridge and the MacKenzie Avenue bridge, test below CDPHE standards for uranium, molybdenum, thorium 230 and radium 226.”

PENDING

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“the EPA and health department concluded in 2002 that “the soil and sediment cleanup in Operable Unit 2 (Lincoln Park area) was complete, although groundwater contamination is still present.”

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“the late Art Ratcliffe donated a 17-foot camper to house equipment, including an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer”

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“Veterans for Peace is a St. Louis-based international organization”

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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.

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Who’s testing the tap water in Cañon City? Not the agencies responsible for cleaning up the toxic plume from the Cotter Uranium Mill.

psychologyDetected Techniques

fact_checkFact-Check Results