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The Division, on thl' other hand, is a state agcncy staa't-d by ;,bout 100 cllIploYCl'S, Located in thc Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the Division is the state agency rcsponsible f()f maintaining, n:storing and improving the state's water quality. It must also assure that safe drinking water is provided trom public systems. The Division's mission is to ensure that the state's waters an.' S<ltl. and dean fix all beneticial uses. St'Vcral integr.lted program c1cIllents form a complete water-quality management program. Ideally, these de- l1lellt~ are efliciently intt:gratt:d to addrt:ss the protection ofalllbient water quality and drinkillg water quality. The tihrure on page t 2 shows the key e1eIllt:nts involved in a Ck,;Ul Water Program based on the federal Clean Watcr Act as illlplelllelltl'd undt:r Colorado law. Monitoring Watt'r-quality monitoring provides the basic chemi- cal, biological and habitat data net:ded to create a pictun: of the curn:nt status of water quality in the ellvironment. Monitoring tells Coloradans about the current quality of their Watt'r and highlights impor- tJIIt trends. Inneasingly. day-to-day water-quality managt'l11cnt decisions Illust be based on sllbstanti~ll nlOnitoring data. Colorado currl'mly invests approximately $1 million anllually in monitoring. The Division's monitoring unit conducts wry localizt'd studies to evaluate specif- k' projcct~. It also conducts watershed scale studit:s aimed at unravding complex water-quality proct:sses related to [he illlpact~ from point and nonpoint source pollution. Finally. monitoring is performed at carefully sdected sites intcnded to indicate the overall physical. chemical and biological integrity of Colorado's waters. Water Quality Assessment \'(.f;ltl'r-quality assessment is concerned with trans- t<.mlling monitoring data into information that sup- ports kt.y watl'r-quality management decisions. Such inkmnation is needed t()r establishing water-quality standards. Standards development is the process of dl,tt.'rmining the It.'vel of quality we want tor our waters. Standards are based on in-stream monitoring information and toxicological research. The Division serves as staff' for the commission in major standard~ rule-making hearint,l'S several times each year. Another assessment function is determining the maxi- mum allowable pollutant-loading capacity for water bodies. This is done by identifYing "totJl maximum daily load~,"Total maximum daily load development is the proct:ss of translating the stJndards goal framework into specific terms for protecting water bodies trom the threats and impacts presented by point source dis- charges and non point source pollution. Maximum daily loali~ provide a road Illap of how to get the level of quality Coloradans want for their waters. Compliance Assurance Compliance assurance program activities are targct- ed at f.1dlities regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. state water- quality comrol regulations and drinking water regu- lations. Compliance assurance provides the public with independent confirmation that water quality protection requirements are being met. Compliance assurance includt:s the activities that go into assuring regulated drinking water and that pollution-control facilities know what requirements must be met and that they have the necessary facilities and opera- tional capabilitit:s to do so. Such activities, which are More tI, 'r) $85 '11,on is al/oc't . ml edt, . e\lery Front R'11) b' m 0 l1.-at ~c~'\'i ~eriv. .' . Qi\1"Cd Y rapId u''ban groVl . 'I'Iater systems cOrn I. r able standards. er~q{ja.t e, IS irnp;tcted of ,0' . ':i\(\1:, P Y WIth all app Ie fty rnanageml o<'\~ ~ 99% 0'