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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~""')..,,, ..... - ..... ....I . _ effluent for unrestricted agricultural re-use has thus been a judicial matter rather than 'a stream standard proceeding. As discussed above, the Colorado law governing exchanges provides that water returned ITom exchanges must be of adequate quality for the normal uses of the senior appropriator. Water divened into the Burlington-O'Brian Canal is used for domestic municipal water supplies by the City of Thornton and for recharge of well depletions serving the South Adams Water and Sanitation District. In the South Adams adjudication proceeding, the quality of Metro effluent was considered by the Court, resulting in the following ruling: "No effluent from the wastewater treatment plant of the Metropolitan Denver Sewage Disposal District No. 1 or ditch water containing such effluent shall be introduced into the Ford Water Recharge Facility unless first authorized by this Court pursuant to the continuing jurisdiction retained under paragraph 32, infra." (Case No. W-8440-76, Water Court, Water Division I, State of Colorado). Involuntary exchanges cannot continue to occur against the Barr system without substantially upgrading the quality of effluent. Metro effluent is not coagulated or filtered to provide the standard of treatment for fecal coliform, bacteria and viruses as reflected above. The Nitrification Alternatives Study prepared for Metro in January, 1992, estimates a capital cost of $1 00 million to filter the Central Plant effluent with incremental annual operating costs of $4 million. Barr Lake has a serious eutrophication problem resulting in substantial algae blooms each summer. The prospect of a massive fish die-off arising ITom oxygen depletion remains a realistic prospect. Metro recognizes that eutrophication in Barr Lake may force the Water Quality Control Commission to impose phosphorous and total nitrogen volumetric limits 16