Colorado treatment plant has begun receiving flows after infrastructure update

Metro Water Recovery’s Northern Treatment Plant has begun receiving flows from the Second Creek Pipeline in Colorado.

This infrastructure investment comes after years of planning and preparation including a complex permitting process, design and construction. The new pipeline connects to the existing South Platte Pipeline and conveys wastewater flows to the Northern Treatment Plant in Brighton, Colorado.

This collaborative effort has been planned since 1982, when the Denver Regional Council of Governments identified the need for clean water facilities in the northern metropolitan region.

The Second Creek Pipeline is the largest transmission project in Metro’s 60-year history.

The 17-mile-long pipeline uses a gravity-powered design that minimizes pumping and reduces energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and long-term maintenance costs.

The new pipeline will enable portions of Adams County, Aurora, Brighton, Commerce City, Denver and Denver International Airport to be served by Metro’s Northern Treatment Plant.

“The Second Creek Pipeline project is a necessary investment in essential infrastructure to keep pace with the current and future growth of our region,” said Chief Executive Officer Mickey Conway in a press release. “For me, this project embodies our commitment to developing One Environment solutions that balance environmental, social and economic factors.”

Metro Water Recovery was formed under Colorado law in 1961. Metro is the largest resource recovery and clean water agency in the Rocky Mountain West, serving approximately 2.2 million people in an 817 square-mile area.