PUB00095

• Year: 1988
• Title: Colorado Water
• CWCB Section: Administration
• Author: League of Women Voters of Colorado
• Description: A publication to present facts, background and issues regarding water in Colorado.
• Publications - Doc Type: Other

Water Quality Controls

Congress reaffirmed the nation's commitment to clean water by enacting
the 1986 Safe Drinking Water Act and the 1987 Clean Water Act.

Colorado's Water Quality Control
Commission establishes policy, sets standards
and procedures. adopts regulations and
establishes the system for allocating federal and
state funds for construction grants in the state.
The Water Quality Control Division of the
Department of Health is responsibie for
administering the regulations adopted by the
Commission. The Division also administers
construction grants for waste water treatment in
the state, and oversees the implementation of
the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Basic
Standards for Groundwater.

SURFACE WATER

Colorado enacted the Colorado Water
Quality Control Act of 1973 which gave the
Commission authority to establish water quaiity
standards in order to maintain and enhance the
quality of all the state's waters for public water
supplies, for protection and propagation of
wildlife and aquatic life, and for domestic,
agricuitural, and recreational and other
beneficial uses. In 1981, the 1973 Act was
amended (SB 10), emphasizing economic
reasonableness in the overall decision making of
the Commission and the Division, including
those decisions determining stream
classifications and standards.
In 1979 the Commission adopted a
system of classification that more adequately
defined the uses of the waters of the state, and
classified most of the streams, iakes and
reservoirs in the state as being able to support
aquatic life and/or recreationai activities. The
Commission established beneficial use
categories together with numerical criteria which

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define the conditions necessary to maintain the
use categories in streams and stream segments
across the state. Waters are classified according
to the uses for which they are presently suitable
or could become reasonably suitable, as follows:

RECREATIONAL USE
Class 1: Primary Contact Recreation
Class 2: Secondary Contact Recreation

AQUATIC LIFE
Class 1: Cold Water Aquatic Life or Warm Water
Aquatic Life (wide variety of biota,
including sensitive species)
Class 2: Cold Water Aquatic Life or Warm Water
Aquatic Life (potential variety of life
forms presently limited by flow and
streambed characteristics)

DOMESTIC WATER SUPPLY
Class 1: Uncontaminated Groundwater
Class 2: Waters Requiring Disinfection and/or
Standard Treatment

AGRICULTURE (includes irrigation and livestock
use)
EXISTING HIGH QUALITY WATERS

In 1972 federal amendments established
the National Pollutant Discharge Eiimination
System (NPDES) which is the key to the
enforcement of water pollution control. The
discharge permit system is the regulatory
mechanism for ensuring that the stream
classification and standards described above
are attained and maintained. Every discharger
(such as sewage treatment plants) must obtain a
permit containing specific pollutant limitations
consistent with the stream classification and

associated water quality standards of the
receiving waters. If the actual discharge exceeds
these limits, a compliance schedule is an
integral part of the permit with specified dates
as to when necessary actions must be
completed so the discharge will meet state
standards.
Colorado has assumed responsibility for
the permit program and has the authority to take
legal action against any discharger who violates
permit conditions and limitations. SB 10
established a fee system to make this program
self-efficient. Permits for federai installations are
issued by the Environmental Protection Agency.

DRINKING WATER AND
GROUNDWATER

The Drinking Water and Groundwater
Section of the Water Quality Controi Division has
the twofold aim of ensuring safe drinking water
for the general pubiic and developing a
comprehensive program to protect groundwater
quality for beneficial uses.
The Drinking Water unit of this Section is
responsible for the administration of the Safe
Drinking Water Act and for enforcement of the
Drinking Water Standards adopted by the
Colorado Board of Health. This unit conducts
random sampling of drinking water supplies but
compliance with the standards is generally left
to each individual water supply system.
The Groundwater Unit is responsible for
implementing the Basic Standards for
Groundwater that were adopted by the
Commission in 1987. These standards are based
on use classifications for aquifers simiiar to
those used for surface waters.