Albuquerque constructed wetlands pilot project: Summary and status of City of Albuquerque project, September 1995

Abstract

The Pueblo of Isleta, located five miles downstream from Albuquerque, and the NM Water Quality Control Commission has established strict water quality standards for the Rio Grande, and it has become necessary for the Albuquerque Public Works Department to pursue methods to enhance the purity of treated municipal wastewater effluent produced at the Southside Water Reclamation Plant (SWRP). In response to requirements in a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, issued in June 1994 by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), design has begun for additional facilities at SWRP to support biochemical processes that effectively reduce nitrogen during wastewater treatment. However, the NPDES permit, in recognition of State and Pueblo stream standards for the Rio Grande, contains potential discharge limitations for several substances other than nitrogen, including arsenic, silver, aluminum and cyanide. In addition, the permit requires that an interagency evaluation of existing Rio Grande water quality be completed within three years, to provide a foundation for future decisions about the river.

Parent Publication

• Desired future conditions for Southwestern riparian ecosystems: Bringing interests and concerns together

Citation

Glass, Steven; Thullen, Joan; Sartoris, Jim; Roline, Rick. 1996. Albuquerque constructed wetlands pilot project: Summary and status of City of Albuquerque project, September 1995. In: Shaw, Douglas W.; Finch, Deborah M., tech coords. Desired future conditions for Southwestern riparian ecosystems: Bringing interests and concerns together. 1995 Sept. 18-22, 1995; Albuquerque, NM. General Technical Report RM-GTR-272. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. p. 243-252.