WSP08165

• File Number: 8407
• Description: Platte River Basin - River Basin General Publications
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 7/24/1992
• Author: USGS
• Title: The Barr Lake Plan
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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municipal water supplies, Metro has viewed its role as solely providing sewage treatment to
meet regulatory discharge limits, rather than as a participant in the acquisition and efficient
utilization of raw water supplies for its constituent municipalities. Metro's present planning is
focused upon ammonia and total carbon loadings to the South Platte River as they relate to
dissolved oxygen depletions in various locations downstream of Metro's discharge. Metro's
current focus ignores the need for improving the quality of its effluent so that exchanges are
not hindered and water development can continue smoothly.

In-plant modifications to address the ammonia and carbon loading issues have been estimated
to cost between $72 and $114 million, with an additional annual operating cost of $4 million.
Metro has researched numerous alternatives, including an exchange with or discharge to
irrigation facilities. However, Metro has not yet acknowledged that an additional $100 million
in filtration costs would be required to meet n direct n reuse standards as would be required for
improved discharge directly to the South Platte River.

The Barr Lake Plan requires substantial improvement of the quality of effluent discharged into
the Burlington-O'Brian Canal. This improvement can be accomplished in many ways.
However, the Plan directly addresses the health, recreational and agricultural issues presented
by reuse of municipal effluent by offering an economical and practical solution. By this Plan,
the Companies agree to accept secondary treated effluent into the Burlington-O'Brian Canal,
and transport it to the vicinity of Barr Lake where it would receive further treatment by rapid
sand infiltration to meet California Standards.

Our consultants are convinced that a rapid sand infiltration process (nRSIn, see Appendix C)
for Metro wastewater will result in satisfactory quality water for discharge into Barr Lake and
unrestricted agricultural uses, at a cost far less than the plant modifications presently being
reviewed by Metro. The appendix also includes detailed analyses of the water quality

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