Commission adds 500-foot effluent requirement to protect groundwater, tables broader wastewater ordinance changes

The Garfield County Planning Commission voted to add a new Section 4 to its underground wastewater disposal ordinance requiring any underground wastewater disposal system located within 500 feet of state waters to meet a maximum effluent of 30 milligrams per liter of nitrogen. The body also agreed to hold the remainder of the proposed ordinance amendments for further review.

County staff opened the hearing by proposing a retitling of the rule to a "groundwater protection ordinance" and asking the commission to explicitly require higher treatment standards for systems near named water bodies (SEG 408-426, SEG 435-446). Staff said the intent is to protect shallow, pristine aquifers in areas such as Johns Valley, Mammoth Creek and Pine Lake and to clarify a previously referenced "level 3" standard and the mapping of protected rivers and creeks.

The staff proposal included two linked approaches: keep effluent standards (the chemical concentration target) and add a density/lot-size control. One option…