What is in the Effing Effluent?

We've been blogging about squirrels with bubonic plague, ducks dying of botulism, lake bottoms being replaced, and the Effing Effluent (tm) a.k.a. recycled water, sewage effluent or greywater, i.e. the stuff which is being sprayed on the fields and filling up the lakes. But what is actually in it?

I was finally able to obtain a copy of the original (thanks to the indefatigable Adrienne Anderson,) Industrial Wastewater Discharge Permit No. 1-118 granted by the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District to the City and County of Denver and Waste Management, Inc. to "discharge treated groundwater and incidental operational wastestreams through the outfall(s) identified herein to the sanitary sewer system, in accordance with the effluent limitations, monitoring requirement and other conditions set forth herein." In other words, what they can flush into the sewer system, and thence on to the "recycling" plant.

Notes:

1. Aurora is included in this system, and I am leaving it out to simplify the overview.

2. All of this is from the original agreement. I have not yet been able to obtain a copy of the current agreement, but I understand that the limitations have been increased.

3.The list below is just the ingredients that are monitored and regulated. There may be other contaminants.

4. Below the list are copies of the actual document, where the detail-oriented can find the actual numerical limits.



Non-Radioactive Pollutants

1,1-Dichloroethane
1,1-Dicholoroehylene
1,1 1-Trichloroethane
1,1,2-Trichloroethane
1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane
1,2-Dichloroethane
1,2-Dichloroethene (trans)
1,2-Dichloropropane
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene
1,4-Dioxane
2,3,7,8-TCD (and congeners)
2,4-D
4,4-DDT
Acetone
Acetophenone
Acrylonitrile
Additive Limit
Arsenic (total)
Benzene
Beryilium
BETX
Bis(2-Ethylhexy)Phthalate
Cadmium
Carbon Disulfide
Carbon Tetrachloride
Chlorobenzene
Chloroform
Chromium (total)
Copper (total)
Cyanide (total)
Ethylbenzene
Ethylene Glycol
Heptachlor
Lead
Manganese
Mercury
Methylene Chloride
Molybdenum
Naphthalene
Nickel
PCBs
Pentachlorophenol
Phenol
Selenium
Silver
Styrene
Tetrachloroethylene
Toluene
Trichloroethylene
Vinyl Acetate
Vinyl Chloride
Xylenes
Zinc

Radionuclides
Americium-241
Beta/Photon emitters
Cesium-134
Gross Alpha
Lead-210
Plutonium-238+239+240
Potassium-40
Radium-226+228
Strontium 90
Thorium-228
Thorium-230+232
Tritium
Uranium-234
Uranium-235
Uranium-238

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