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<br />Water pollution caused by the activities of man is a result of land and <br />water use and is proportionately a much greater threat to the beneficial <br />~ use of water in Colorado. The principal contributors are municipal and <br />~l industrial wastewater discharges and runoff from agricultural activities <br />en and urban areas. Water pollution from these sources include high levels <br />~~ of ammonia and fecal coliform bacteria. The ammonia levels have affected <br />aquatic life in several Front Range and mountain valley streams. Fecal <br />coliform levels exceed the standards for secondary contact recreation <br />(boating and fishing) in some Front Range streams, including the lower <br />South Platte and Arkansas rivers. <br /> <br />Municipal wastewater discharges, urban runoff, and agriculture contribute <br />to high nutrient levels (nitrates and phosphates) found in these streams. <br />The quality of some reservoirs and lakes have been threatened by <br />concentrations of these pollutants. <br /> <br />In the mountainous areas of the State water quality standards are exceeded <br />in some streams for various metals including lead, copper, zinc, iron, <br />cadmium and manganese. Sources of the lead, copper and cadmium pollution <br />are primarily natural. However, discharges from inactive or abandoned <br />mines can increase these concentrations significantly. <br /> <br />Salinity in surface waters is a result of salt loading, primarily from <br />agriculture and natural sources, and salt concentration associated with <br />the consumptive use of water. Salt loading is most evident in portions of <br />the Colorado and Arkansas river basins. In Colorado the impact upon <br />beneficial use of water due to salt concentration is most significant in <br />the Arkansas and South Platte rivers. Although few uses of water are <br />impaired in Colorado by salinity in the Colorado River system, the salt <br />loading that occurs here has downstream impacts of national and <br />international significance. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />A. Point Source Problems <br /> <br />Point sources are those sources of pollution which enter a stream or river <br />from any "discernable, confined, and discre1;e conveyance" such as a ditch, <br />pipe, or conduit. Under Federal and State law, all point sources require <br />a discharge permit. Discharge permits specify the types and quantities of <br />pollutants that may be discharged into the water. <br /> <br />Point source discharges from municipal and industrial wastewater treatment <br />plants are the greatest contributors to water quality problems in streams <br />in Colorado. Most of these facilities are located along the Front Range <br />urban corridor from Pueblo to Fort Collins. Some of the facilities <br />serving the growing metropolitan areas in this corridor are having <br />difficulty meeting stream standards. Historical problems with ammonia <br />removal, fecal coliform counts, and chlorine residuals are being corrected <br />with the upgrading and improved operation of many of the facilities <br />contributing to the problem. Municipal wastewater facility problems are <br />also aggravated by inadequate capacities of the intercepting sewer lines <br />and treatment plants. <br /> <br />-7- <br /> <br />,..'< <br /> <br />"",' ....;;, -,I. <br /> <br />,-..t~~ <br />