This section helps prevent
wastes which would harm the treatment plant or river from
being discharged into the sewer or storm drain systems.
Collection
System Maintenance
The underground system of pipes for
sewage and storm water need to be cleaned and maintained.
Find out more about this here.
Plant
Operations Treating the communities
wastes through physical, chemical and biological processes.
Take a virtual tour!
Persigo
History & 201 Sewer System Boundary
Ever wonder what "201" means
or how the Persigo Treatment Plant came into being? The 2005/2006
proposed boundary changes? Read all about it in this summary.
The Persigo
Agreement between the City of Grand Junction and
Mesa County is also available.
Frequently
Asked Questions Have a question
about the treatment plant or a sewer problem? The most typical
can be found here.
The Wastewater Services division goal
is to provide the finest wastewater treatment possible, in a
fiscally responsible manner that will protect the public health
and environment.
Protecting the
Environment
"Can we drink it?"
This is the most frequently asked question from school children at the end of
a tour of the Persigo Wastewater Treatment Plant. The answer is "No,
but you could fish or swim in it."
This is the simplest way to say that the treated water leaving
Persigo consistently meets its permitted limits.
In 1972, Congress passed the Clean
Water Act to restore and maintain the quality of the nation's
waters. The Act required every wastewater treatment plant
that discharges directly into a body of water to have a discharge
permit. The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
issues Persigo's discharge permit that specifies monitoring
requirements and pollutant discharge limits. The limits are
set to protect the current uses of this segment of the Colorado
River: recreation, aquatic life and agriculture.
The treated wastewater leaving Persigo
consistently meets its limits through a team effort of dedicated
professionals. At the plant, the superintendent oversees
the operation of the plant, lab personnel analyze samples
collected at different stages of the treatment process, operators
optimize conditions for the various treatment processes,
mechanics maintain the inner workings of the plant and an
office manager keeps the paperwork flowing.
Persigo employees also work upstream
from the plant to ensure compliance. Collection crews keep
approximately 462 miles of sewer lines flowing freely to
prevent backups that could pose a threat to the health of
the community or environment. Pretreatment staff work with
commercial and industrial facilities to ensure that pollutants
that may upset the wastewater treatment process do not enter
the system.
Persigo employees were recognized for
their efforts in 1995 when the plant received the Environmental
Protection Agency's Operations and Maintenance Excellence Award.
Again in 2007, Persigo staff won two prestigious awards. They took national 1st place in operations & maintenance and national 2nd place in industrial pretreatment.
Members of the City Council
and County Commissioners attended an awards ceremony at the
Persigo Wastewater Treatment Plant to celebrate receiving
a prestigious award.
Bruce Suchomel from Region
8 of the EPA presents Mayor Doody the plaque for the Region
8 award.
US EPA
2007 National
1st Place Award
Operations & Maintenance
US EPA
2007 National
2nd Place Award
Ind. Pretreatment
US EPA
1995 Region 8
Excellence Award
Operations & Maintenance
