"Steel in the Arkansas River Basin" reflects the removal of Salt Creek’s state waterway designation in 1979, thereby allowing the Evraz Rocky Mountain Steel Mill to avoid thorough wastewater treatment. Although the Water Quality Control agency began reviewing Evraz's permit in 2023, the state's delayed response represents a failure in environmental justice.

The piece discusses the environmental impact of steel production on Pueblo, CO’s Salt Creek, downstream ecosystems, and nearby communities.