County Water Quality Regulations

As the authority and administrator of the Water Quality regulations for Summit County, which are found in Chapter 7, the Engineering Department works in cooperation with the US Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Water Quality Control Division (WQCD), and the Summit Water Quality Committee (SWQC).

Wetland Development

The ACOE is the permitting authority for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and administers permits for wetland development in accordance with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Summit County has adopted a no net loss policy for wetlands in unincorporated Summit County, and administers the wetland regulations in the Code and the Grading Manual in conjunction with the ACOE’s 404 permits where applicable, and independently where ACOE jurisdiction does not apply. 
 
Wetlands delineation must be performed by consultants registered with the ACOE.  For a list of registered consultants, see Wetland Consultants.
   

Water Quality

The SWQC is the water quality arm of Northwestern Colorado Council of County Governments (NWCCOG), and works in cooperation with Summit County to ensure that water quality standards are met on construction projects in the county, and to ensure that water quality standards are met in the Dillon and Green Mountain reservoirs, as well as in our natural lakes and streams.

The WQCD issues stormwater construction permits for projects in the State of Colorado where over 1 acre of land is disturbed. Such permits are a prerequisite for issuance of GE permits in the county where they apply. 
 
For further information regarding submittal requirements and applications please see the permits page.