Issues That Affect Water Quality

Water Pollution and Pollutants

A “pollutant,” as defined by federal and state law, includes any substance that will detrimentally affect water quality or interfere with the desired uses of a stream. Some of the most common pollutants include metals, nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen), ammonia, pathogens (disease-causing bacteria and viruses), sediment, and saline. Metals and ammonia can kill fish, nutrients may cause a water body to fill with algae, pathogens can cause human illness, and sediment can destroy an aquatic habitat.

“Pollution” is defined more broadly than “pollutant,” and refers to human induced activities that lead to changes in the chemical, physical, biological, and radiological makeup of the water.

Point Source Discharges flow into water bodies and are readily discernible and confined. They are generally thought of as discharges that occur from the end of a pipe and were at one point under some sort of human control. However, they may also include overflows from impoundments and stormwater runoff that is concentrated in drainage systems. The largest source of this type of pollution comes from industrial wastewater treatment and municipal sewage plants.

Nonpoint Source Discharges come from various unconfined sources, rather than from one fixed source location. Examples include runoff from agricultural lands, inactive mine sites, construction sites, diffuse stormwater and urban development. It is the largest remaining source of pollution contributing to the degradation of water quality throughout the state and nation. Efforts are underway to address problems created by multiple abandoned mines in the Blue River Watershed.

Stormwater

Stormwater issues result from heavy rainfall that transports pollutants into our water sources. These pollutants may include fertilizers, pesticides, fecal matter, oil and grease, trash, and sediment. A permitting system exists to address runoff associated with industrial discharges (e.g., from sewage plants and large-scale construction) in an effort to reduce pollutants.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is responsible for administering the state’s stormwater management plan. Summit Water Quality Committee put together a manual that outlines best management practices relating to stormwater. That manual can be found here.