Colorado
Clean Watersheds Needs Survey 2008
The Clean Watersheds Needs
Survey (CWNS) is a comprehensive
assessment of needs1 to meet the water
quality and water-related public health
goals of the Clean Water Act (CWA).
States and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) conduct the
CWNS every four years under CWA
Section 516 (b). Colorado documented
needs totaling $1.5 billion in 2008.
This is a 49 percent decrease from the
$2.9 billion in needs documented in
2004.
Documented Needs in Colorado
Needs (2008 Dollars, Millions)
Type of Need
2004
2008
Percent Change
Wastewater treatment
$2,100
$1,064
-49%
Pipe repair and new pipes
$420
$282
-33%
Recycled water distribution
$17
$9
-47%
Combined sewer overflow correction
$0
$0
0%
Total Wastewater Treatment Needs
$2,537
$1,355
-47%
Conveyance infrastructure
n/a
$77
n/a
Treatment systems
n/a
nra
n/a
Green infrastmcture
n/a
nr
n/a
General stormwater management
$267
$40
-85%
Total Stormwater Management Needsb
$267
$117
-56%
Agriculture (cropland) best management practices (BMPs)
nr
nr
0%
Agriculture (animals) BMPs
nr
nr
0%
Silviculture (forestry) BMPs
nr
nr
0%
Ground water protection: unknown source BMPs
nr
nr
0%
Marinas BMPs
nr
nr
0%
Resource extraction BMPs
$58
<$0.5
-100%
Brownfields remediation
nr
nr
0%
Storage tank remediation
nr
nr
0%
Sanitary landfills BMPs
nr
nr
0%
Hydromodification (Water resource restoration and protection)
$1
<$0.5
-65%
Other estuary management activities0
n/a
nr
n/a
Total Nonpoint Source Control NeedsM
$59
<$0.5
-99%
Total Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Needsb'd
$2
nr
-100%.
Total Needs
$2,865
$1,472
-49%.
aNot reported; Actual needs may be higher, since documenting these needs is difficult; °In 2004, Other Estuary Management
Needs were reported under Separate State Estimates (SSEs); dNot included in Official Needs in the Report to Congress.
1 Documented needs in the CWNS include the unfunded capital costs of projects as of January 1, 2008 that address a water
quality or a water quality-related public health problem existing as of January 1, 2008, or expected to occur within the next 20
years; and meet the seven CWNS documentation criteria. All needs are in January 2008 dollars.

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Colorado
Clean Watersheds Needs Survey 2008
Wastewater Treatment Facilities
The enactment of the Clean Water Act (CWA) in 1972 resulted in dramatic improvements in the:
•	Number of wastewater treatment plants.
•	Percentage of the population served by wastewater treatment plants.
•	Quality of effluent treatment from wastewater treatment facilities.
In 2008, 36% of Colorado residents received centralized wastewater treatment services at the secondary,
advanced, or no discharge treatment level, compared to 74% in 1972.
Number of Centralized Treatment Facilities and Population Served
Number of Facilities
Population Served
%Total	%Total
Population	Population
Treatment Level
1972
2008
Projected"
1972
1972
2008
2008
Projected3
Less than Secondary
26
0
0
120,000
5
0
0
0
Secondary
70
121
119
1,360,000
54
631,283
13
722,059
Advanced
36
38
54
502,000
20
668,971
14
813,629
No Discharge
0
72
77
0
0
477,984
10
494,377
Total
132
231
250
1,982,000
78
1,778,238
36
2,030,065
a Number of facilities and population served if all needs documented in the CWNS 2008 are met.
Small Communities
In Colorado, small community
wastewater facilities serve 16% of the
population and comprise 38% of total
wastewater treatment and collection
needs. EPA small community support
information is available at:
www. epa. gov/owm/mab/smcomm
Reported Needs for Facilities in Small Communities
Facilities

1 Needs (2008 Dollars, Millions)
Population
2004
2008
2004
2008
0-999
104
114
$123
$125
1,000-3,499
74
68
$218
$241
3,500-10,000
26
27
$143
$150
Total
204
209
$484
$517
Visit www.epa.gov/cwns for more information including:
•	Detailed Reports to Congress
•	Other state fact sheets
•	Maps, charts, and data downloads for projects, facilities, watersheds, counties, congressional
districts, cities, states, and regions

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