Town of Nederland Source Water Protection Plan – Final Draft Boulder County, Colorado December 2014 Written by: Mark Weritz, P.E. Project Manager Town of Nederland Coordinated by: Dylan Eiler Source Water Specialist Colorado Rural Water Association For the Community Water Provider: Town of Nederland PWSID: CO0107538 Cover Photo: Photo of Middle Boulder Creek Valley looking east from Eldora Mountain Resort access road (August 2014). Photo by Mark Weritz. This Source Water Protection Plan for the Town of Nederland was developed using the Colorado Rural Water Association’s Source Water Protection Plan Template. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS ..................................................................................................................................... 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................... 4 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 6 Purpose of the Source Water Protection Plan ............................................................................ 6 Protection Plan Development ..................................................................................................... 7 Stakeholder Participation in the Planning Process ..................................................................... 7 Steering Committee .................................................................................................................... 8 Development and Implementation Grant .................................................................................. 9 WATER SUPPLY SETTING ............................................................................................................... 10 Location and Description .......................................................................................................... 10 Physical Characteristics ............................................................................................................. 11 Hydrologic Setting ..................................................................................................................... 12 Water Quality Standards ....................................................................................................... 13 Impaired Waters ................................................................................................................... 13 Water Quality Data ............................................................................................................... 14 Drinking Water Supply Operations ........................................................................................... 15 Water Supply and Infrastructure .......................................................................................... 15 Water Supply Demand Analysis ............................................................................................ 18 OVERVIEW OF COLORADO’S SWAP PROGRAM ............................................................................ 20 Source Water Assessment Phase .............................................................................................. 21 Source Water Protection Phase ................................................................................................ 21 SOURCE WATER PROTECTION PLAN DEVELOPMENT ................................................................... 23 Source Water Assessment Report Review ................................................................................ 23 Defining the Source Water Protection Area ............................................................................. 23 Potential Contaminant Source Inventory and Other Issues of Concern .................................. 26 Priority Strategy ........................................................................................................................ 29 Susceptibility Analysis of Water Sources .................................................................................. 31 DISCUSSION OF POTENTIAL CONTAMINANT SOURCES AND ISSUES OF CONCERN ..................... 32 Forest Fire ................................................................................................................................. 32 On-Site Wastewater Treatment Systems (OWTS) .................................................................... 34 Flood and Stormwater Runoff .................................................................................................. 36 Road Maintenance .................................................................................................................... 38 1 Abandoned Mines/Mine Tailings .............................................................................................. 39 Pesticide Application ................................................................................................................. 40 Illegal Dumping ......................................................................................................................... 41 Mines and Mineral Resources .................................................................................................. 41 Lake Eldora Water & Sanitation District ................................................................................... 41 Storage Tanks (Regulated and Unregulated) ............................................................................ 42 Public Recreation (Fourth of July and Hessie Trailheads) ......................................................... 43 Nederland Middle/Senior High School ..................................................................................... 43 Eldora Mountain Resort Operations ......................................................................................... 44 Road Spills ................................................................................................................................. 44 SUPPLEMETARY DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................ 46 Tertiary Zone ............................................................................................................................. 46 Integration with the Town Master Infrastructure Plan ............................................................ 47 Municipal Watershed Ordinance .............................................................................................. 47 Integration with the City of Boulder Source Water Master Plan ............................................. 47 SOURCE WATER PROTECTION MEASURES ................................................................................... 49 Best Management Practices ..................................................................................................... 49 Evaluating Effectiveness of Best Management Practices ......................................................... 49 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................. 56 APPENDICES .................................................................................................................................. 58 2 ACRONYMS BLM Bureau of Land Management BMP Best Management Practice CDOT Colorado Department of Transportation CDPHE Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment CRWA Colorado Rural Water Association EPA Environmental Protection Agency FRS Facility Registry Service GIS Geographic Information System MRDS Mineral Resources Data System NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service PSOC Potential Source of Contamination RCRA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act SDWA Safe Drinking Water Act SWAA Source Water Assessment Area SWAP Source Water Assessment and Protection SWPA Source Water Protection Area SWPP Source Water Protection Plan TOT Time of Travel USDA United States Department of Agriculture USFS United States Forest Service 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY There is a growing effort in Colorado to protect community drinking water sources from potential contamination. Many communities are taking a proactive approach to prevent the pollution of their drinking water sources by developing a source water protection plan. A source water protection plan identifies a source water protection area, lists potential contaminant sources and outlines best management practices to decrease risks to the water source. Implementation of a source water protection plan provides an additional layer of protection at the local level beyond drinking water regulations. The Town of Nederland values a clean, high quality drinking water supply and decided to work collaboratively with area stakeholders, including the City of Boulder, to develop a Source Water Protection Plan. The source water protection planning effort consisted of public planning meetings and individual meetings with water operators, government, and agency representatives during the period between July 2013 and December 2014 at meetings held in Nederland. During the development of this Plan, a Steering Committee was formed to develop and implement this Source Water Protection Plan. Colorado Rural Water Association was instrumental in this effort by providing technical assistance in the development of this Source Water Protection Plan. The Town of Nederland obtains its drinking water directly from Middle Boulder Creek at the site of the water treatment plant (WTP) intake. The Town’s water