The Goal of Clean Water
Treated effluent from our wastewater plant is discharged to the Big Thompson River. The river falls under the protection of the EPA and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as a body of water in our federal and state watershed. Clean water is a vital resource used for recreation, aquatic life and public water intakes. Since the 1970's, improving watershed quality has been a focus of these agencies and public organizations. This clean water commitment requires the components of residential and commercial wastewater be regulated. Many discharges are restricted altogether. With each passing decade, wastewater standards have become more stringent as discharge impacts are better understood and as clean water technology improves.
Wastewater Rules and Regulations
Our primary industry is tourism. Tourism is a relatively clean industry as most of the wastewater generated is "domestic" or residential in nature. However "industrial" users such as carwashes, automotive shops, medical providers, film processors and jewelers are also present. Pretreatment with filters or recovery systems is necessary to keep harmful elements or compounds from the wastewater. Our Wastewater Discharge Rules and Regulations is currently being revised and will be available in the future.
Fats, Oils and Grease Interceptors (FOG) are a requirement for all food service establishments in our District. This requirement is best understood by reviewing our FOG Interceptor Policy.
Collection Rules and Regulations
Ensuring that sewer service lines are properly maintained and
installed is an important function of the District.
Sewer service lines are the responsibility of the property owner.
A service line begins immediately outside the building and
ends at the Districts sewer main.
This includes the connection fitting
Older service lines require maintenance and care. Tree roots or settled joints can prevent lines from draining. Broken lines allow un-treated wastewater to be released into the environment - a concern for our watershed agencies. They also allow infiltration of groundwater that uses valuable plant capacity - an important financial concern. These are just some of the reasons for our comprehensive Collection Rules and Regulations document.