Board OKs ammonia curbs
Rocky Mountain News
Published March 14, 2007 at midnight
The state water-quality board on Tuesday approved sweeping new curbs on ammonia in Colorado's waterways, including the South Platte River, to better protect fish.
The new state rules, stemming from upgrades to federal pollution regulations, will collectively cost sewage treatment plants across Colorado hundreds of millions of dollars to meet. In many cases, new water- treatment processes must be installed.
The nine-member Water Quality Control Commission gave wastewater plants through 2011 to incorporate the changes, although even with that time frame some facilities likely will seek extensions, the board acknowledged.
The Metro Wastewater Reclamation District, which serves about 1.5 million customers in Denver and other parts of the metro area, expects to spend $235 million on upgrades.
District officials already sought - and received - an extension through 2014 to complete their improvements.
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