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Section 2
<br />Statewide Demographic, Economic, and Social Setting
<br />siting, design, and construction of water project facilities.
<br />They do not give a county the power to regulate activities
<br />that occur in another county, nor to prohibit a change in
<br />the point of diversion to a location in another county as
<br />often occurs in an agricultural to urban transfer. 1041
<br />regulations can regulate new water supply development
<br />projects and agricultural-urban transfers that require a
<br />new diversion and/or pipeline to be sited in a county
<br />where the water has been historically used for
<br />agriculture.
<br />2.5.5 Federal Special Use Permits
<br />When a water project involves land development on
<br />federal land, it must be permitted by the entity with
<br />jurisdiction over the land and/or over the particular
<br />activity. For example, a water project on federal land will
<br />require a special use permit from the land-administering
<br />agency, e.g., the U.S. Forest Service or the U.S. Bureau
<br />of Land Management. Such permits are broadly termed
<br />special use permits. Consistent with the issuing agency's
<br />jurisdiction, they address all resources that may be
<br />affected by the project, including soils, vegetation,
<br />wildlife, threatened and endangered species, surface
<br />water, groundwater, wetlands, air, cultural resources,
<br />human populations, and others.
<br />2.6 Water Quality
<br />The quality of Colorado's water resources is critically
<br />important to all human and non-human water uses and
<br />users - whether municipal, industrial, agricultural,
<br />recreational, or environmental. Colorado is fortunate to
<br />be home to the headwaters of virtually every stream in
<br />the state, and as such, many stream segments are
<br />pristine. However, both natural and human-caused
<br />factors can influence water quality, such as:
<br />^ Geological formations
<br />^ Topographic and climatological factors
<br />^ Vegetation types and densities in watersheds
<br />^ Discharges of pollutants from point sources
<br />^ Non-point discharges such as runoff from various land
<br />uses
<br />^ Return flows from irrigation practices
<br />^ Stream channel modifications
<br />^ Changes in flow that can affect water quality
<br />Beyond historical land uses - such as mining activities
<br />from 100 years or more ago that still influence water
<br />quality today - there are significant changes in Colorado
<br />that continue to exert an influence on the water quality of
<br />streams and groundwater throughout the state.
<br />Increases in population, along with the changes in land
<br />use that accompany them, can impact Colorado's high-
<br />quality waters. In urban areas, increased discharges of
<br />treated wastewater are highly regulated and controlled.
<br />Urban runoff also brings a host of potential contaminants
<br />to receiving waters through stormwater collection
<br />systems and discharges. At the same time, increased
<br />recreational uses and additional population in mountain
<br />recreational areas has the potential to affect water
<br />quality. Meanwhile, runoff from agricultural land uses - in
<br />particular, nutrient loadings and animal waste -
<br />continues to be an important non-point source of
<br />contaminants to receiving waters in every major river
<br />basin in the state.
<br />The federal CWA establishes minimum national
<br />requirements for the protection of surface waters. In
<br />Colorado, statutory authority to implement CWA
<br />requirements is given to the Colorado WQCC, which
<br />establishes state water quality control policies through
<br />the development of water quality regulations, including
<br />setting water quality standards for all waters in the state.
<br />The CDPHE's WQCD is charged with implementation
<br />and administration of the state's water quality protection
<br />program within the regulatory framework established by
<br />the WQCC, including maintaining, improving, and
<br />restoring water quality through activities such as
<br />permitting and monitoring.
<br />Waters not meeting state standards for their designated
<br />uses are deemed "impaired" under the federal CWA.
<br />Designated uses include categories such as aquatic life,
<br />recreation, drinking water supply, and agricultural uses.
<br />The WQCC is charged with identifying and listing all
<br />impaired stream segments in the state. The resulting list
<br />is known as the 303(d) list, referring back to the original
<br />CWA section requiring this analysis. Once the state has
<br />identified impaired waters on its 303(d) list, it is required
<br />to prioritize them based on the severity of pollution and
<br />other factors and, where appropriate, develop a"Total
<br />Maximum Daily Load" (TMDL) for each water body. The
<br />process of developing a TMDL includes determining the
<br />cause(s) of the water quality problems, identifying
<br />pollutant sources, and establishing the allowable
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<br />Statew~itle Water Supply Inii'iative
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