From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
The state has put Pueblo on a shorter leash for dealing with selenium in wastewater discharges.
On Monday, the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission rejected Pueblo’s plea for a 10-year extension of a temporary modification, instead just giving the city a little over two years to develop a discharge specific variance that sets numerical limits and strategies to attain them.
“Everyone, even the EPA, recognizes that selenium is naturally present in the Arkansas River,” said Gene Michael, Pueblo’s wastewater supervisor. “What we’ll have to do in the next two years is come up with an effluent limit and a compliance schedule.”
Pueblo already is implementing a $32 million project to line sewage collection pipes on the West Side to reduce infiltration of groundwater tainted with selenium.
The city’s position is that more of that selenium could reach the Arkansas River because it would not be removed in treatment.
“We still will be in negotiations with the state health department on selenium levels to determine standards,” Michael said. “The potential exists to extend the temporary mods as well.”
Another contaminant, sulfates, is also being looked at. But it may not be an issue, since there are few diversions of surface water for domestic use directly downstream from Pueblo, Michael said.