Drinking Water
Boulder's Water Treament
Where is our water treated?
Water from the Boulder Creek watershed is either used on a direct-flow basis from Middle Boulder Creek or North Boulder Creek, or stored in Barker Reservoir or in one of several reservoirs in the Silver Lake Watershed located on North Boulder Creek. Water from the Colorado - Big Thompson system is either
used directly from the canal feeding Boulder Reservoir or is stored in Boulder Reservoir. In all, the city owns approximately 26,000 acre feet of reservoir storage capacity for its system.
Boulder owns and operates two water treatment plants:
Betasso Water Treatment Plant is the city's primary plant. The Betasso plant processes water from Barker and Lakewood Reservoirs. Barker is fed by the Middle Boulder Creek Watershed. Lakewood is primarily fed by water from Silver Lake watershed (a city owned watershed) via the Lakewood pipeline but may also receive water from North Boulder Creek and Como Creek.
Boulder Reservoir Water Treatment Plant - During most of the year, water is pumped directly from the reservoir itself. From about May through October, the Boulder Reservoir Water Treatment Plant may divert water directly from the Boulder Feeder Canal. Most of the water in the canal comes from Carter Lake and is much less mineralized (softer) than the water in Boulder Reservoir.
Together, these water treatment plants have the capacity to treat approximately 55 million gallons (about 170 acre feet) per day. From the water treatment plants, water is delivered to the customers through several hundred miles of treated water pipelines. In most years, the majority of this water flows from Betasso Water Treatment Plant via gravity, and a smaller amount is pumped into the city water system from Boulder Reservoir Water Treatment Plant. Boulder's ability to obtain water from both east and west slope sources provides an important measure of reliability against less severe, localized droughts.
Both water treatment plants are operated and maintained 365 days of the year. Betasso operates 24 hours a day, and the Boulder Reservoir Water Treatment Plant now operates year round to meet increased demands. Throughout the treatment process, water is sampled and tested every two hours. This sampling is performed to make sure the plant processes are working properly and to guarantee that the water is potable before it leaves the plant. Potable water is defined as drinking water that meets all federal and state standards.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 01 July 2009 09:24
