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ea tli Recommendations <br />David Holm, Water Quality Control Division, C.D.P.H. &E. <br />BACKGROUND: <br />The Health Task Force (HTF) is focusing on three issues: <br />• Safe and adequate drinking water supplies for the State's 2,000+ drinking water treatment <br />systems <br />• Potential impacts associated with inadequate stream flow dilution for the discharges from the <br />State's 1,000+ waste water treatment facilities, and the 500+ industrial treatment facilities <br />• Adequate quality in the State's streams and lakes to support all designated uses (agriculture, <br />aquatic life, industrial, recreation and water supply). <br />The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment/Water Quality Control Division (WQCD) <br />regulates the state's public drinking water systems and the municipal and industrial waste water <br />treatment systems. The WQCD is also responsible for ensuring that water quality standards which are <br />protective of public health and the various designated uses: agriculture, aquatic life, industrial, recreation <br />and water supply are met. <br />Under drought- induced severe low flow conditions, there could be public health and/or environmental <br />risks related to drinking water and waste water treatment adequacy and environmentally harmful <br />concentrations of pollutants in streams and lakes. <br />POTENTIAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES: <br />Public Drinking Water Systems: <br />There are three primary concerns associated with severe drought conditions: <br />Critical Drinking Water Supply Shortage: This is an extreme public safety issue in that fire <br />protection systems are generally tied into drinking water supply systems. This is a serious public <br />health issue, as well. Residential and commercial sanitary systems depend upon adequate treated <br />drinking water supplies. Virtually every year a few small systems run short of water, such as <br />Pinewood Springs in Larimer County which in 2000 had to haul water to meet the needs of its <br />residents. In these situations, the local public water system is responsible for securing alternative <br />sources of water. In some cases, they have been able to obtain modest state funding to offset <br />their expenses; Pinewood Springs received a grant from the state Drinking Water Grant Program. <br />(The three different types of federal drought disaster declarations have provisions for assisting <br />small businesses and farmers and ranchers, but do not appear to have provisions for assisting <br />drinking water treatment facilities in meeting their obligations.) <br />• Risks to Public Water Systems and Increased Operational Costs. Drought - induced low flows, <br />especially downstream from a waste water treatment plant, would increase water temperatures, <br />nutrient concentrations, and algal blooms causing operational issues, potential fish kills and <br />