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r'il I v. _. - 000698 RECEiVED APR 1 3 2000 APRlL 2000 .~ l ,.....~ ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS Colorado W..,..,.. c: .1S'.:!""."". .. . -.. Colorado Water Congress . 1"580 Logan Street. Suite 400 .' Denver. Colorado 80203... . Phone: (303) 837-0812 Editor: Jerry Raisch, Vranesh and Raisch, LLP, P.O. Box 871, Boulder, Colorado 80306-0871 Newsletter Concerning Colorado Basic Standards for Surface Waters The Colorado Water Quality Control Commission will hold two significant water quality standards hearings in 2000. The first hearing, which is on the Basic Standards for Surface Waters 5 CCR 1002-31, will be held on July 10 and 11, 2000. The subject of the second hearing, which will be held in November, is the proposed revisions to the classifications and numeric standards for the South Platte River Basin 5 CCR 1002-38. This newsletter summarizes the proposed changes to the Basic Standards for Surface Waters. The Basic Standards provide the framework for the establishment of site-specific use classifications and water quality standards in Colorado. As such, these regulations are one of the cornerstones of the Colorado water quality control program. Although these regulations have been revised numerous times, the changes proposed this year are the most comprehensive revisions since the adoption of the Basic Standards twenty years ago. The proposal, which will be published on April lOin the Colorado Register, consists of four exhibits. The first is the Water Quality Control Division proposal. This proposal was. developed over the last nine months by the Water Quality Standards Work Group of the Wa~er Quality Forum. The second exhibit is a proposal by Glimax Molybdenum Company. The third is a proposal by Farmers Reservoir and Irrigation Company (FRICD) and the fourth is a proposal by the City of Thornton. Rather than discuss the various changes in serial order, this summary attempts to discuss the changes in order of potential impact to both municipal and industrial dischargers in Colorado. FRICD has proposed. the following new standards to protect water segments that are classified for agriculture: Parameter Existing Standard Proposed Standard Fecal coliform 2.2 CFUIlOO ml Nitrate Phosphorus 5 mgIL 0.6 mgIL No current standard. However, Recreation Class 1 =200 and Recreation Class 2=2000 cfu/l00 ml. Current standard= 1 00 mgIL. None In the alternative to the above, FRICD proposes that the Commission adopt a statement that the criteria listed in Tables I, II and III of the Basic Standards shall not be deemed protective of any site-specific use until the use and related standards are adopted by the Commission in a site- specific hearing. In effect, this alternative changes the Commission's existing policy that the criteria listed in Tables I, II and III are generally protective of classified uses. Thornton's proposal is similar to FRICO's, although its focus is on protection of water segments that are classified as drinking water and consist largely of treated wastewater, such .as the segments of the South Platte River that run through and below the Denver metropolitan region. Thornton's proposal is as follows: