Protecting Water Quality in Chatfield’s Watershed, Located Southwest of Denver, Colorado, USA

Water Professionals Protect Water Quality In Chatfield Watershed

Protecting the water quality in Chatfield Reservoir, by managing the pollutants that enter the Chatfield Watershed, was the focus of a recent gathering of the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission, stakeholders of the Chatfield Watershed Authority (Authority), and other concerned water-quality managers. They all came together for an on-site educational seminar and tour of the Chatfield Watershed that was conducted on October 11th by members of the Authority.

According to Larry Moore, Co-Chairman of the Authority, “Our primary focus is to protect the water quality in the Chatfield Reservoir through on-going planning and implementation of water quality monitoring and projects. It’s important to know that one of the leading causes of contaminants (nutrients) in Chatfield actually comes from unknown (nonpoint) sources. These nonpoint sources, which account for about 80% of nutrient load problem, come from nutrients derived from livestock manure, pet wastes, aged/unmaintained septic systems, runoff of excess fertilizers from residential or agricultural land, and sediment from eroding stream banks into the water supply.”    The tour took the state water quality policy-makers to Chatfield Reservoir and tributaries to the Reservoir, Massey Draw and Plum Creek, to discuss water quality issues, including stream restoration improvements to reduce erosion and opportunities to improve water quality near environmentally sensitive areas like Plum Creek.  

Said Co-Chairman of the Authority Kevin Urie, “We have a lot of great ideas for improving the water quality in the Chatfield Watershed. With our collaborative efforts and partnerships, we aim to get the support needed to move these necessary projects forward. Watershed planning and funding are essential to promote water quality in our watershed and reservoir in order to keep the water safe for everyone.”

The Authority has been the recent recipient of grants from State agencies to provide funding support for developing a watershed plan, conducting additional water quality monitoring in Plum Creek, and controlling erosion along streams in the watershed. The Authority is a local volunteer agency comprised of water professionals and state and local environmental oversight agencies.  The Authority has sustained a water-quality monitoring program for the past 25 years in order to promote the long-term protection of water quality in the watershed and reservoir for drinking water, fisheries, recreation, and other beneficial uses through various programs to manage and monitor pollutant controls as an oversight group.  Said the Authority’s Manager Julie Vlier, “Educating the public is an essential part of the outreach effort that is focused on priority projects such as the North Massey Draw Stream Restoration Improvement at the Ken-Caryl Equestrian Center and Livestock Management projects for agricultural users in the watershed. That’s why the Authority stakeholders felt compelled to hold the tour of the Chatfield Watershed and we are so pleased with the turnout.”

The Chatfield Watershed includes over 400-square miles and is comprised of key drainage areas including Plum Creek, Deer Creek, Massey Draw, and a portion of the South Platte River from the outfall of Strontia Springs Reservoir to Chatfield Reservoir. 

Get involved in your community on May 7. Click here to find out what you can do to help keep your environment beautiful!

Click here to read a press release from Denver Water regarding the closure of Waterton Canyon due to the sediment dredging project at Strontia Springs Reservoir.

Walleye Egg Collection

During the week of March 29th, the Colorado Division of Wildlife collected Walleye eggs from the Walleye fishery in Chatfield Reservoir.  Authority member, Robert Estes, Sedalia, took these photos of the activity on Wednesday March 31st. Click here to view gallery.

Colorado Medication Take-Back

Tri-County Health Department (TCHD) is proud to announce that we are a participating partner in the new Colorado Medication Take-Back Project which officially kicked off December 1, 2009.
 
This is an important program because the proper disposal of medications helps to prevent accidental poisoning, decreases the ability for older children and teens to experiment with easily available medications, and protects our waterways from pollution.
 
More information and brochures can be found at the following link:
http://www.coloradomedtakeback.info  
 
The Medication Take-Back Project is a network of secure boxes for the collection of unused and unwanted household medications. The collection boxes can be found at ten convenient locations - eight on the Front Range and two in Summit County.  TCHD has two collection boxes which are located at the Englewood and Commerce City Offices plus two King Soopers locations in our service area.  This is a free service for the community.
 
The program is designed to collect NON-CONTROLLED substances only.  This is a great opportunity to provide educational information to the public to ensure the proper disposal of controlled substances (narcotics and infections waste).  Medication should never be dumped down the drain or flushed.  Medication should be removed from their original containers, mixed with an undesirable substance such as kitty litter or coffee grounds then disposed of with household trash.

CDOT Works to Minimize Water Quality Impacts

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has worked hard to adopt best management practices to minimize water quality impacts from its projects.  The power point presentation used at the January 27, 2010 board meeting, describes some of the water quality control aspects of projects in the Chatfield basin.  CDOT estimates they prevented 36 tons of sediment from getting into Plum Creek and Chatfield Reservoir in 2009 alone.  For more information on CDOT’s efforts and to report any potential problems, please contact CDOT Region 1, East Program Engineer, Ms. Carrie DeJiacomo, PE, at Carrie.DeJiacomo@dot.state.co.us.

A important news topic is the increasing cost for constructing and maintaining water and wastewater treatment infrastructure. On this page you’ll find several articles addressing the issue. The Water Funding Needs document includes excerpts from recent activities and some of the other documents on this page. Estimation of Costs of Phosphorus Removal is a technical study of the cost of removing additional phosphorus from effluent streams under several different scenarios. A Call to Action is a speech given by G. Tracy Mehan, III, former EPA Director, at the Sustainable Infrastructure Conference on April 30-May 1, 2007, in Groton Connecticut. More news articles will be added as available and appropriate.

PBS has aired the Frontline Special ‘Poisoned Waters’.  While the Chatfield Watershed Authority does not endorse the findings of the program, it raises interesting questions and presents technical issues in an easily understood format.  We encourage anyone interested in the complex issue of protecting water quality to watch this entertaining program. Read More

The Castle Rock Town Council has sent a letter to Mr. Steve Gunderson of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment regarding recent changes to the standards in Chatfield Reservoir.  The letter describes the Town Council’s concerns with the changes including:

• Inappropriate water quality priorities;
• Unfunded mandates; and
• The focus on point sources when most of the pollutants are from nonpoint sources.

Articles

Hazards in the Water - by David Olinger

Characterizing Chlorophyll Distributions in Colorado Lakes

Pueblo Chieftain - Zebra mussel cousins pop up at Lake Granby

Water Funding Needs

A Call to Action

Estimation of Costs Phosphorus Removal

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