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199B - Colorado FIofJd Hazard Mitigation Plan (4091 generai analysis to assure basic compliance with state and federal requirements. The second step is a hydraulic analysis, where specific design criteria are followed. These'specific studies may be sent to the Colorado Water Conservation Board to assure com- munication on common concerns. Potential secondary impacts of highway construction, such as encouraging land use in the floodplain by building a highway in the floodplain, have to be ad- dressed to satisfy federal requirernents. But many COOT officials believe transportation systems gener- ally follow land use rather than creating it, and if problems occur, they are the result of land use deci- sions made by local governments rather than the result of COOT policies and procedures. In designing its own buildings, CDOT considers flood- plain impacts. In Eagle County, for example, the floodplain was one factor in the design of a new area to house COOT employees. Flood insurance for existing buildings in the floodplain has been purchased for some COOT structures. In the event of a flood disaster, COOT does nol place any conditions on the provision of emergency assis- tance (such as a written agreement to manage the floodplain to a certain standard). After emergency assistance had been provided, conditions on Mure assistance might be considered. 3.2.1.6 Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) 3.2.1.6.1 Water .Quality Control Division The Water Quality Control Division is moving forward with a major reorganization, which moves away from a programmatic structure toward a more simplified, functional structure. The current sections will combine to form two new sections: a Watershed Section and a Water Quality Protection Section. An important com- ponent of the new organizational structure will be four watershed teams (South Platte, ArkansaslRio Grande, Upper Colorado, and Lower Coloradc) that draw from staff in each of the sections described above to pro- vide an ongoing mechanism to coordinate overall program efforts within each watershed. The role of the Colorado Department of Public Health and environment Division of Water Quality Control, in floodplain management relating to wastewater facili- ties includes three areas of involvement. First are site applications; an applicant requests approval to build a specific wastewater treatment facility in a specific location. Second are construction grant applications; an applicant requests federal financial assistance in building a wastewater treatment facility, either concur- rent with or after a site application. Third is discharge permit applications; anyone who wishes to discharge pollutants (including treated waste) into a body of water in Colorado must hold a discharge permit. All three of these processes have the potential to Include flood hazard mitigation opportunities. Drinking Water Program The Drinking Water Program is responsible for ensur- ing safe drinking water for the general public. Most of Colorado's residents receive their domestic water from community water systems. Since water is a pofential carner of disease, water supplies must be carefully treated to ensure their safety. This is accomplished through the maintenance and enforcement of the Pri- mary Drinking Water Regulations. The Drinking Water Program also develops and updates design criteria for residential water systems, issue enforcement orders for violations and maintains an Inventory of public water supplies. The Drinking Water Section of the Water Quality Control Division reviews applications for I domestic water supply facilities. All portions of the water supply system as far as the plant outlet, with the exception of intake structures, must be located outside the 100-year floodplain. Typically, parties building water supply facilities locate the intakes in the flood- plain, for obvious reasons, and then divert the water to a high place for treatment and storage. By locating the facilities above the floodplain, increased pressure is appiied to the distribution system and locating the facilities above the floodplain reduces pumping costs. Therefore, floodplains are evaluated at the time plans and specifications are reviewed prior to construction of water treatment plants. Permits and Enforcement The Permits and Enforcement Section deveiops and administers discharge permits for approximately 1,070 domestic and industrial wastewater producers who discharge treated effluent to state waters. The sec- tion's staff also enforces the terms of the permits, using monitoring information provided by the field staff, and data furnished by the permittees in the form of discharge monitoring reports. Various actions may be taken to bring the facility back into compliance, including technical assistance, compliance orders and fines. Upon delegation by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the section will be responsible for the , industrial pretreatment program, and for permitting federal facilities located within the state. Pretreatment is the processing of industrial wastes before they enter a domestic wastewater treatment plant. Pretreatment is necessary for certain types of wastes in order to protect the treatment facility, ensure that the facility will be able to meet the terms of its discharge permit, and ensure the quality of biosoids produced at the faci lity . The section regulates the recycling of domestic sewage sludge (biosolids) as a fertilizer or soil amend- ment Authorization is required before biosolids may ~.pub Chapter 3 . 13 112819810:51 PM