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<br />N <br />W <br />N <br />00 <br /> <br /> <br />FACT SHEET <br /> <br /> <br />,- <br /> <br />- <br /> <br />WHAT IS A STATE <br />ASSESSMENT? <br /> <br />The Colorado Nonpoint Assessment Report is a document required by Section :319 of <br />the 1987 Water Quality Act. Each state must identify those waters which cannot meet <br />water quality standards or are not meeting designated beneficial uses because of pollu- <br />tion from nonpoint sources. <br /> <br />The Colorado Department of Health, Water Quality Control Division was the state <br />agency responsible for developing the nonpoint source assessment report. The <br />Division was assisted in the process by the Colorado Nonpoint Source Task Force. <br /> <br />The original report was approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EP A) in <br />November 1988. The report was updated in November 1989. Periodic updates are ex- <br />pected as new information becomes available. <br /> <br />WHAT DID THE <br />ASSESSMENT FIND? <br /> <br />The assessment identified five primary sources of uonpoint water pOllution: urban <br />areas, agricultural activities, forestry and logging activities, construction activities and <br />areas of abandoned/inactive mining. The dominant pollutants are sediment, salinity, <br />heavy metals, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and bacteria. <br /> <br />In all 3,342 miles of rivers and streams, representing approximately 24 percent of the <br />total miles of flowing streams in Colorado, are affected by nonpoint source generating <br />activities. Because there is overlap between pollutants, the total in the state is less <br />than the sum of miles listed in the table. <br /> <br />MILES OF STREAM AFFECTED BY VARIOUS POLLUTANTS <br /> <br />Sediment 2,154 <br />Salinity 1,533 <br />Metals 1,313 <br />Nutrients 743 <br />Bacteria 73 <br /> <br />Of the lakes and reservoirs in the state, 25,877 surface acres are affected by nonpoint <br />source pollution. Sources are primarily agriculture, urban and construction runoff and <br />land disposal. <br /> <br /> <br />OTHER <br />REQUIREMENTS <br />OF THE <br />ASSESSMENT <br /> <br />The report not ouly identifies "troubled waters" and pollution sources, but must also <br />identify and describe those state and local programs for controlling nonpoint source <br />pollution. It also describes the process by which best management practices for con- <br />trolling nonpoint source pollution will be identified. <br /> <br />11 <br />