Similar to the Town Branch, the South Platte River runs through Denver’s downtown, residential and industrial neighborhoods.  Also like Town Branch, the South Platte River had been dumped in, polluted, neglected, and cut off from the city.  In 1965, the river reminded the city of its existence by causing the worst flood in Denver’s history, totaling $325 million in damages.  This incident put the South Platte River back in the city’s agenda but it would take 10 years for a serious plan to be developed. 

Many members of the community including developers, preservationists, and politicians had diverse and sometimes competing interests.  The river was also heavily polluted by many sources.  For example, a cement company regularly cleaned out its mixers and dumped the contaminated water directly into the river.  A railroad yard adjacent to the river released used diesel oil onto the river’s banks. The city itself even allowed street sweepings, dirty snow, and raw sewage to be dumped into the South Platter River.  Many industries operated along the water body.  Although some of these were legitimate, they were still unsightly, noisy and a dangerous destination for potential recreators.  Despite all these obstacles, however, the committee still plunged forward. 

The first order of business for the Platte River Development Committee was to tour the riverside itemizing serious conditions that the river faced.  The committee then divided into four groups and each group was asked to focus on one section of the riverfront.  Each group was required to inventory their site and report back to the Committee with a plan for a “node” or park to be located along each section.  The Platte River Development Committee planned to quickly demonstrate their 
effectiveness by building a few parks and then connected the nodes together with a trail providing a base for additional improvements. 

A year after the implementation of the Platte River Development Committee, the first park was opened. Coincidentally, it was located at the original settlement of Denver, and perhaps one can draw parallels to McConnell Springs.  Two years later the committee transformed itself into a tax-exempt organization called the South Platte River Greenway Foundation, Inc. to better permit donations.  In seven years the foundation raised $14 million from private and public sources.  This funding and community support lead to 10.5 miles of concrete trails, four whitewater boat chutes, and 17 mini parks created along a river that was once a neglected, heavily polluted eyesore.