Investigation of the fate of individual sewage disposal system effluent in Turkey Creek Basin, Colorado

Abstract

With rapid development and population growth in the Turkey Creek Basin (TCB) of Jefferson County, Colorado, the degradation of water quality has become a pressing issue. Residents of TCB are served by a fractured, crystalline-rock-aquifer, typical of those in the western US that provide water to residential users through individual domestic wells and treat wastewater with individual sewage disposal systems (ISDSs). Specific Conductivity (an indicator of water quality) in the surface water data from the 1970s has increased by a factor of 3.3 over the past 30 years. However, Specific Conductivity of ground water in localized areas has increased by a larger factor. This study investigates the role of ISDS effluent in the degradation of the basin’s water quality by investigating the flow path and chemical evolution of ISDS effluent after it leaves the infiltration area of one individual sewage treatment system.