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DENVER – The public right of way known as Sand Creek near Stapleton is closed until further notice due to public health hazards.

Denver Public Health and Environment announced Wednesday morning plans to temporarily close the area because of trash, human waste, food waste and drug paraphernalia.

Sand Creek has a bicycle path for public use but it also largely used for long-term camping.

“We look at the nature of that area in terms of waste being washed into the creek, the types of biohazard that are out there and certainly the magnitude of things that are out there,” Bob McDonald, executive director and public health administrator for Denver’s Department of Public Health and Environment said.

According to McDonald, DPHE is concerned about infectious diseases, pests and blood-borne illnesses spreading because of the waste long-term campers are leaving in the public space.

“I like living on the land and with the exception of the extreme cold, I like living outdoors,” a camper named Yeti told FOX31.

He is just one of several permanent campers who will now need to move.

Floyd Stolin and his wife Katrina have been living in a tent at Sand Creek for about a year. They say they try to keep their area clean, but it often doesn’t stay that way because other travelers dump their belongings and never return to pick them up.

“There’s a lot of stuff going on out here that shouldn’t be going on,” Stolin said. “If people were more conscientious about being cleaned up and having their area cleaned up, I don’t think it’d be that big of a problem.”

The Colorado Department of Transportation will soon begin clearing out anything left behind in Sand Creek like tents, bicycles and shopping carts. Then, DPHE will evaluate the land’s condition so CDOT can begin restoring it to a safe condition.

DPHE says the process could take up to several weeks.