A GUIDE TO COLORADO PROGRAMS FOR WATER QUALITY …

1 1 A GUIDE TO COLORADO PROGRAMS FOR WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT AND safe drinking WATER Commission Policy #98-2 Updated: August, 2013 Expiration Date: December 31, 2018 For additional information regarding the PROGRAMS and topics addressed in this document, please contact: COLORADO WATER QUALITY Control Division 303-692-3500 Or visit our website at: or COLORADO WATER QUALITY Control Commission 303-692-3463 Or visit our website at: 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE I. Introduction 4 A. Purpose and Overview 4 B. Institutional Roles and Responsibilities 4 1. WATER QUALITY Control Commission 4 2.

2 WATER QUALITY Control Division 4 C. Other State implementing Agencies 6 D. COLORADO WATER Resources and Power Development Authority 7 E. Department of Local Affairs 7 F. WATER and Wastewater Facility Operator Certification Board 7 G. Regional/Areawide Planning Agencies 8 H. Watershed-Based WATER QUALITY Authority/Associations/Forums 8 I. Local Health Departments 9 J. Informal Advisory Organizations 9 K. Environmental Protection Agency 10 L. Other Federal Agencies 10 M. General Public 10 II. WATER QUALITY Management 12 A.

3 Introduction 12 B. WATER QUALITY Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting 12 1. Monitoring 12 a. Routine Monitoring 13 i. Standards Review 13 ii. Trend Monitoring 14 b. Lakes and Reservoir Monitoring 14 c. Biological and Habitat Monitoring 14 d. Special Study Monitoring 14 i. Synoptic Studies 14 ii. Point-Source Monitoring 14 iii. Probability-Based Monitoring 14 iv. Monitoring for Measurable Results 14 e. QUALITY Assurance/ QUALITY Control Program 15 f. Monitoring Partnerships 15 g. Environmental QUALITY Information Systems 16 2.

4 Assessment 16 a. Overview 16 b. Listing of Impaired Waters 16 3. WATER QUALITY Management Plans and Reports 17 a. Integrated Report/Section 305(b) Report 17 b. Regional Areawide Planning 17 c. Watershed and Basin Plans 18 d. Statewide WATER QUALITY Management Plan 19 e. Commission/Division Report to Public 19 C. WATER QUALITY Classifications, Standards and Designations 19 1. Surface WATER Standards 19 a. Overview 19 b. Statewide Standards 20 c. Site-Specific Classifications and Standards 20 d. Antidegredation Provisions 23 e.

5 Wetlands Provisions 23 f. Nutrient Control Provisions 24 2. Ground WATER QUALITY Standards 24 a. Basic Standards 24 b. Site-Specific Standards 24 3 3. WATER QUALITY Standard-Setting Procedures 24 D. Total Maximum Daily Load Development 26 1. Overview of Federal Regulations and Requirements 26 2. TMDL Procedures for Listed Waters 26 a. Assigning Priorities 26 i. Removal of Listed TMDLs 27 ii. Monitoring and Evaluation List 27 iii. TMDL Completion Schedule 27 b. Methods for Development of TMDLs 27 E. Establishment of Source Controls 29 1.

6 Site and Design Approval Procedure 29 2. Point Source Discharge Permit 30 3. Pretreatment 33 4. Biosolids Management Program 34 5. Reclaimed WATER Program 34 6. Stormwater 35 7. Section 401 Certification 36 8. Control Regulations 36 9. Nonpoint Source Management Program 37 F. Compliance Assistance and Assurance 38 1. Compliance Assistance 38 a. Technical Assistance 38 b. Pollution Prevention 38 2. Compliance Assurance 38 a. Monitoring and Evaluation 38 b. Enforcement Actions 39 III.

7 safe drinking WATER 40 A. Introduction 40 B. Summaries of Key Fundamental Elements 40 1. Regulation and Policy Development 40 2. Public WATER System Inventory Development and Maintenance 42 3. Assistance to Public WATER Systems 43 a. Compliance Assistance 43 b. Source WATER Protection 44 c. Capacity Development 45 i. Capacity Building Unit 46 ii. Compliance Assurance Section 46 iii. Engineering Review and Field Engineering Section 46 4. Public WATER System Compliance Assurance 46 5. Assistance to Consumers 47 IV.

8 Financial Assistance 49 A. State Revolving Funds 49 B. WATER QUALITY Improvement Fund Grant Program 50 C. Source WATER Protection Grants 50 D. Small System Training and Technical Assistance Grants 50 E. Small Community Grant Program s 50 F. Nonpoint Source Project Grants 50 G. COLORADO Healthy Rivers Fund 51 H. Funding Coordination Committee 51 Appendix A COLORADO WATER QUALITY Control Act and Federal Clean WATER Act Historical Perspective 52 Appendix B Historical Perspective of Federal and State safe drinking WATER Legislation 55 Appendix C Bibliography of Other Important WATER QUALITY Management Documents 56 Appendix D Common Abbreviations 58 Appendix E Section 208 Planning Requirements 60 4 Part I.

9 Introduction A. Purpose and Overview The WATER QUALITY Control Division (Division) of the COLORADO Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), under the authority of federal and COLORADO statutes, administers state PROGRAMS implementing two major federal statutes: the Clean WATER Act and the safe drinking WATER Act. The federal Clean WATER Act activities protect the QUALITY of COLORADO s ambient WATER bodies its rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs and ground waters. The federal safe drinking WATER Act activities ensure that drinking WATER provided to consumers taps by COLORADO public WATER systems is always safe to drink. The purpose of A GUIDE to COLORADO PROGRAMS for WATER QUALITY Management and safe drinking WATER ( GUIDE ) is to describe how the objectives of these related, but separate, statutes are implemented in COLORADO .

10 In addition, this GUIDE is intended to help satisfy the requirements in Section 303(e) of the federal Clean WATER Act that the state maintain a WATER QUALITY continuing planning process by describing the process currently applied in COLORADO . Part I provides a brief overview of the various agencies with a role in ensuring protection of WATER QUALITY in COLORADO . Part II describes how COLORADO protects the QUALITY of its ambient WATER bodies. Part III describes how COLORADO s safe drinking WATER Program is primarily focused on ensuring that the WATER provided by public WATER systems at the consumer s tap is always safe to drink. Part IV details the different Financial Assistance options available that can assist efforts to protect public health and the environment.