Illinois Phosphorus Effluent Limits: Minimizing the Impacts Through the Use of Non-point Controls at the Springbrook Water Reclamation Center in Naperville, Illinois

Phosphorus pollution is a major concern in Illinois. Excessive amounts of phosphorus can be detrimental to water bodies. To help control phosphorus, the Illinois Pollution Control Board has proposed phosphorus limits on wastewater treatment facility discharges. If enacted, these limits will have negative impacts on the Springbrook Water Reclamation Center in Naperville, Illinois. To minimize these impacts, Naperville can utilize various non-point controls recommended in this paper to decrease the amount of phosphorus entering into the DuPage River and the Springbrook Water Reclamation Center. While these controls will not reduce levels low enough to totally satisfy limits on phosphorus discharges, they will significantly reduce the treatment costs Naperville will need to expend to meet them and be more environmentally effective.

Denver Water, Policy and Economics

An analysis of the Denver Water Department finds that it is charged with supplying water to over 1.1 million residents in the Denver Metropolitan area. With assets of over $1.2 billion dollars and a governing board of five appointed members who must make policy and financial decisions under unusual circumstances for most water districts. Those circumstances include; Colorado is the only State that has a single source of water, precipitation, State and Federal mandated water compacts that limits water resources further, and Colorado Constitutional mandated appropriation water laws. Combined together these circumstances create a difficult atmosphere for policy making and financial planning. When comparing the Denver Water Board with other water departments around the Country, the Denver Water Department seems to be competent in all areas.