The Metro Wastewater Reclamation District is the wastewater treatment authority for most of metro Denver. It was formed by the Colorado state legislature in 1961 to provide wastewater transmission and treatment services to member municipalities and special connectors in compliance with federal, state, and local laws.
The Metro District serves about 1.5 million people in a 380-square mile service area that includes Denver, Arvada, Aurora, Lakewood, Thornton, Westminster, and more than 45 sanitation and water and sanitation districts.
The Metro District treats about 130 million gallons of wastewater a day and discharges the treated water into the South Platte River where it makes up nearly 90 percent of the River for nine months of the year. In May 2005, the Metro District won its second consecutive Platinum Award. Platinum Awards are given for five consecutive years of 100% compliance with the numerical limits of its discharge permit. For more about this award, click here.
In October 2005 the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the Metro District first place nationally for plant operations and maintenance. For more about this award, click here.
Under the trade name METROGRO®, the Metro District applies most of the biosolids that result from cleaning wastewater to agricultural land in eastern Colorado. In July 2005, the National Biosolids Partnership certified the Metro District's Environmental Management System for Biosolids. To find out more, click here. The EPA awarded the Metro District first place nationally for its biosolids management accomplishments in 2004.
The remaining biosolids not applied to land are mixed with wood chips and turned into METROGRO® Compost, a product homeowners in the metro Denver area can purchase to enrich their gardens and lawns. To find out more, click here.
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