Water Resource Recovery Program

The Boulder Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) is designed to treat 25 million gallons of wastewater per day using a multi-stage treatment process. The WRRF cleans sewer discharged water to permitted standards or better and afterwards returns water to Boulder Creek in as clean a state as is possible by the WRRF treatment system.

Solids removed during treatment are used to produce Class B biosolids that are land applied on agricultural fields as part of a beneficial reuse program. Biogas is also generated during solids treatment and is further cleaned via a state-of-the-art process that produces a methane rich-biogas that can be injected onto the natural gas grid where it is purchased by Western Disposal Services or could be used at the WRRF to meet heating needs.

• Currently, approximately 13 million gallons of wastewater is treated per day and a high-quality effluent (treated wastewater) is returned to Boulder Creek.
• Water resource recovery is carried out using state-of-the-art processes, including:
  • Physical separation;
  • Microbiological nutrient removal; and
  • Ultra-violet (UV) light disinfection.
• Treatment concludes with disinfection of harmful bacteria, viruses and protozoa.
• Rigorous sample collection and analysis occurs daily to ensure that the final discharge is meeting or exceeding the discharge permit that has been issued by the State of Colorado.
• The City of Boulder is regulated under the National Pollution Discharge and Elimination System (NPDES) permit number CO-0024147 as issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).

During the past 10 years, the one-megawatt solar photovoltaic system at the Water Resource Recovery Facility has generated more than 13 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, saving utility ratepayers more than $500,000. The system began generating clean, renewable power in August 2010 and has operated efficiently and reliably ever since, producing about 14 percent of the facility’s annual power needs. In 2020, a second Solar PV system was added to the WRRF campus. The new 500-kW rated system further expands the renewable source power profile and reduces dependence on the electric grid.

The City of Boulder is one of many communities performing wastewater surveillance to learn more about COVID-19. The city, along with other front-range communities, has been collaborating with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), Metropolitan State University and Colorado State University on a program to support the application of wastewater surveillance in Colorado to help address this pandemic.

CDPHE is leading this effort through its Clean Water Program, which includes acting as the liaison between the collaborative and state epidemiologists.

During all efforts, the city has been coordinating with Boulder County Public Health to review the findings and to evaluate trends over time. It has not yet been determined how the information will be shared with the community. Refinements in methodologies are taking place as experts learn more about wastewater-based epidemiology and how it can be leveraged against COVID-19.

Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE)

WBE is an epidemiological approach that has potential to complement current infectious disease surveillance systems via providing a possible early warning system for disease outbreaks. Through the analysis of population pooled wastewater, the emergence of new disease outbreaks at the community level can be monitored comprehensively and can serve as a leading indicator at a relatively low cost.

Wastewater surveillance is not a new area of research. It has been critically important in detecting the presence of poliovirus to support the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, and more recently, to investigate opioid use in communities. Today’s analytical techniques for wastewater surveillance are more cost efficient than testing individuals and can quickly detect disease indicators within large populations.

It is possible that WBE may complement information gathered by health agencies and epidemiologists to provide information about virus levels. Viral shedding within the stool of those infected with SARS CoV-2 begins several days before the onset of symptoms. For more information visit waterrf.org.

The Boulder Water Resource Recovery Facility treats an average of 13 million gallons of wastewater per day. Wastewater reaching the facility goes through a multi-stage treatment process.

The City of Boulder's specific pollutant limitations are listed in Boulder Revised Code, Title 11, Chapter 3, Section 5.

These limits are designed to control pollutant discharges including:

• Metals which can be found in household products
• Flammable liquids that can create fire or explosion hazards in the wastewater collection system
• Corrosives
• Pollutants that may cause the formation of toxic gases, vapors or fumes in wastewater collection lines
• Oils and grease
• Oxygen-demanding pollutants

The goal of Boulder's silver reduction program is to reduce the amount of silver entering the city's wastewater treatment facility. Boulder's Water Resource Recovery Facility is not currently configured to treat elevated levels of toxic metals such as silver.

The primary source of silver is from the discharge of untreated or improperly treated silver-bearing fixer from photographic material processing such as development of silver bearing film, x-ray film and photographic paper.

Boulder Revised Code 11-3 Industrial and Prohibited Discharges requires that all facilities generating waste photographic fixer treat for silver removal prior to discharge to the sanitary sewer. Discharges from silver treatment systems may not exceed 100 mg/L. The alternative to on-site treatment is to have the fixer transported off-site for disposal. Failure to comply with regulations is a violation of law and can result in penalties up to $1,000 per day for each violation.

Trace amounts of pharmaceuticals are found in water supplies across the country, the City of Boulder Utilities Division is providing residents with water treatment information and recommended pharmaceutical disposal practices.

Recent studies indicate that medications flushed down the toilet or drain may have an adverse impact on the environment, including streams, fish and other aquatic life. Boulder's municipal Water Resource Recovery Facility is not equipped to completely remove all of the chemicals and compounds found in various medications. Recent studies have shown that these chemicals can be detrimental to aquatic life and ultimately can end up in drinking water supplies.

The Keep It Clean Partnership has developed programs to meet EPA requirements regarding stormwater regulations.

If you would like to tour the Water Resource Recovery Facility, fill out the online application at least two weeks ahead of the preferred tour date.