Source Water Assessment
for the Cache la Poudre River

An EPA National Pilot

Step 2: Contaminant Inventory

Introduction

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), in its State of Colorado Source Water Assessment and Protection Program Plan (CoSWAP) writes that the contaminant source inventory "… identifies potential sources of contamination (PSOCs) associated with specific activities, industries, and land uses located within a source water assessment area (SWAA)." According to CoSWAP, the PSOC inventory serves three important functions, it:

1. Assesses past and present activities that may pose a threat to the water supply based on their contamination potential. Activities covered include transporting, storing, manufacturing, producing, using, or disposing of potential contaminants;
2. Identifies the locations of activities and operations that pose the greatest risks to the water supply; and
3. Educates the public about the potential risks of various activities to the water supply.

CoSWAP Table 4.1 lists the activities about which CDPHE is most concerned. In the text following the table, CoSWAP identifies typical significant PSOCs as activities:

1. Regulated by federal and state government, for example: Superfund (CERCLA); Toxic Release Inventory (TRI); National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES); Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA); and above ground (AST), underground (UST), and leaky underground (UST) storage tank;
2. Regulated by local governments, for example: individual sewage disposal systems (septic tanks) (ISDS), landfills, and commercial enterprises generating wastes of concern; and
3. Generating microorganisms, e.g., confined animal feeding operations, septic systems, and wastewater.

The Project attempted to address these issues (within the constraints of resources available to the project, especially readily accessible electronic data availability) and report on them generally following the Table 4.1 scheme. Local officials from Fort Collins, Larimer County, and the Arapahoe Roosevelt National Forest provided general review of map products and selected data on which they are based. At this point in time, Project staff has not been able to verify results by on-site inspection, nor exhaust and reconcile all possible sources of data. In addition, please note that Project staff had completed collecting the data used and all map-making, except for minor refinements, before CDPHE finalized CoSWAP and Table 4.1.

SWAA is Generally Pristine

Many people knowledgeable about the Cache la Poudre (CLP) judge the source water assessment area (SWAA) being generally pristine. Forest and tundra covers most of the SWAA, while wetlands, rangeland, and agriculture cover smaller areas. Five designated wilderness areas and Rocky Mountain National Park cover nearly one half of the SWAA.

The Fort Collins public water system has sampled source water and tested for the presence of all contaminants regulated by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act routinely for a number of years. Testing has never detected these contaminants in the source water. Temporary contamination from accidents is an exception, however. The water system closes its intake during spill incidents, so the utilities' routine sampling does not detect contamination from these.

Colorado Stream Classifications and Water Quality Standards assign the following classifications to surface waters within the CLP mainstem: Aq Life Cold 1, Recreation 1, Water Supply, and Agriculture. The Colorado Water Quality Regulations explain the classifications and provide those for transbasin diversions. Water quality data is available for several sites throughout the SWAA.

SWAA land uses are primarily those associated with management by the Arapahoe-Roosevelt National Forest and Rocky Mountain National Park. Small areas of residential, commercial, and governmental uses are located at points along the CLP mainstem and to a lesser extent the South Fork CLP. The Pingree Park Campus of Colorado State University is notable in the South Fork. Residential subdivisions and associated commercial activities, and agricultural uses are located along the northern and southern boundaries in the eastern third of the SWAA. County zoning suggests that residential and agricultural development will follow the current pattern generally in the northeast portion of the SWAA. Developers could develop single residential dwelling units throughout the Open Zone on isolated privately owned land parcels.

Specific PSOCs CoSWAP Table 4.1 Indicates As Highest Priority

Transportation

Transportation infrastructure is located in the SWAA. State Highway 14 is the most prominent, as it is located in the narrow valley bottom, for the most part near the banks of the CLP mainstem. A limited number of county roads and forest service roads and trails are located in areas that are not within designated wilderness or the national park.

Roads are of concern because of the occurrence of spills due to accidents, particularly on State Highway 14 and on county roads along the South Fork. Incidents involving vehicles have occurred approximately weekly, and generally contaminate the river with hydrocarbons from fuel and lubricants. The Fort Collins water system operator is concerned about the future possibility of an incident involving sewage pumping and disposal trucks. An additional concern posed by forest service roads is the potential for biological contamination of water resources due to backcountry use (e.g., camping).

Commercial

A search of a commercial database identifies seventy-two businesses within the SWAA. Thirty-five of these may have potential implications for water quality in addition to the reliance of many establishments on individual sewage disposal systems (septic) (ISDS). The location of businesses, including those potentially of special concern, follows the same general pattern of private land ownership, and land use and zoning depicted above. The businesses are located at points along State Highway 14, and at the northern and southern boundaries of the eastern third of the SWAA, generally in the vicinity of the Glacier View Meadows development on the north and Rist Canyon Road/Stove Prairie area on the south.

Following is an overview of commercial activities of particular concern located within the SWAA. Where the commercial business database identifies these, they are depicted in red on the map of businesses. Additional maps supporting the discussion are provided for specific types of PSOCs. The discussion begins addressing those PSCOs that CoSWAP Table 4.1 identifies as high priority.

Several gas stations are located at points along the CLP mainstem and State Highway 14.

Storage tank data generally follows this pattern with the additions of underground storage tanks in the non-wilderness Sheep Creek drainage encompassed by the Comanche Peak Wilderness, Pingree Park, and an area near the Fort Collins intake. Data identifies one above ground storage tank, and twenty-two underground storage tanks, of which seven are classified as leaky underground storage tanks. State and local government, and private parties own the tanks. Most of the tanks are no longer used, with the exception of some associated with resorts. All of the storage tanks contain, or contained, gasoline or diesel.

As one can see from the land ownership and land use maps, most of the SWAA is owned and managed by the Arapahoe Roosevelt National Forest or Rocky Mountain National Park, while a number of other federal, state, and local government agencies own and manage smaller parcels and facilities. These include Colorado Department of Transportation facilities, and Colorado Department of Natural Resources sites including a fish hatchery, and wildlife and recreation areas.

Data shows thirty-three abandoned and active underground and surface mines and mineral processing facilities within the SWAA. Data shows the following minerals being produced: beryllium, silicon, uranium, tungsten, mica, lead, zinc, feldspar, rare earth, vanadium, pumice, gold, silver, and copper. Most of the facilities are located near the southeastern portion of the SWAA, with a smaller number closer to the mainstem within a few miles of the Fort Collins intake and also approximately mid-way up the canyon.

Other businesses of potential concern, although not necessarily falling under the CoSWAP Table 4.1 scheme, include those described as: tool and design manufacturing industry; wood kitchen cabinets; paint, glass, and wallpaper store; coin-operated laundry and cleaning; signs and advertising displays; commercial art and graphic design; photography shop; fireworks operation; painting; auto body shop; and exterminator. The potential water quality concern with these is the possible storage, use, and disposal of chemicals. The database also identified a llama farm, several commercial or religious campgrounds or retreats, and two wastewater treatment plants that raise concerns about potential biological contaminants.

Residential / Municipal

As depicted on by the land ownership and land use maps, most of the SWAA is national forest or park, with several smaller areas owned and managed by state and local agencies. The forest management map depicts national forest service recreation sites. Most of these, and state recreational sites, are located along the CLP mainstem and State Highway 14. The few other recreation sites also appear to be located adjacent to other surface waters in the SWAA.

One historic landfill or dump is located in the SWAA, as is at least one trailer sewage dump station.

Most developed sites, throughout the SWAA area, particularly private residential and commercial development, rely on individual sewage disposal systems (septic) (ISDS). The location of potential future ISDS on private holdings generally is near currently developed private land. Sewer and central wastewater treatment serves some private development along the northeast portion of the SWAA in the Glacier View Meadows area. The commercial business database identifies two wastewater treatment plants, one on Elkhorn Creek and the other just north of Red Feather Lakes Road in the Glacier View Meadows area.
Agriculture \ Rural

As described above, many public and private campgrounds, rest areas, and other recreation sites are located in the SWAA, primarily along the CLP mainstem and State Highway 14. The Larimer County Assessor's Office parcel file identifies a number of these owned and operated by tax-exempt institutions. Refer to the forest management map and land ownership map.

Agricultural land uses are located within the SWAA on private land and within the Arapahoe-Roosevelt National Forest. The private uses include grazing, irrigated and dry land agriculture, and homes and other structures associated with agricultural activity. The majority of these uses are approximately along the northern and southern edges of the eastern one third of the SWAA. More than half of the national forest is open to grazing. Areas within the nation forest closed to grazing are located in the western portion of the Laramie River basin, and the western one half of the SWAA south of State Highway 14.

A llama farm is located just north of Red Feather Lakes Road in the Glacier View Meadows area.
Data Collected to Date Has Not Identified Several Types of PSOCs as Located in the SWAA

Data developed by the Project did not identify the following types of PSOCs (identified by CoSWAP Table 4.1 as high priority) as located within the SWAA: 'chemical / petroleum processing'; 'fleet/trucking/bus terminals' (with the possible exception of government agency motor pool and maintenance garages); 'food processing'; 'military installations'; 'railroad yards'; 'airports'; 'golf courses'; and 'power plants'. These types of PSOCs probably are not located within the SWAA.

Data developed by the Project to date also did not identify several other PSOCs. Additional research potentially would identify these as located within the SWAA: 'pipelines', 'underground injection control wells', 'utility substations', and 'pesticide/fertilizer storage and distribution facilities'.

Of particular concern are some facilities regulated under federal law (primarily the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) that data and review by the Fort Collins water system operator suggest may be present within the SWAA. Review of federal databases suggested that perhaps about one dozen regulated facilities are located within the SWAA. However, the Fort Collins water system operator judged all locational data provided by these data sources as inaccurate. No additional maps of these regulated facilities are presented for this reason.

Proceed to Step 3: Assessment...