Dallas Creek_Ouray County Wastewater Treatment Plant, Dallas, Colorado

Dallas Creek_Ouray County is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Dallas, Ouray County, Colorado, United States. The facility serves a small population of 500 residents in this rural mountain community. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard biological treatment process required under the US Clean Water Act for municipal wastewater. It has a designed capacity of 189.27 cubic meters per day and discharges a similar volume, indicating full utilization. As a small facility in a remote area, it operates under state-level NPDES permits administered by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The treated effluent is discharged into local waterways that drain into the Uncompahgre River watershed, which flows through the San Juan Mountains and eventually joins the Colorado River. This region is ecologically sensitive, supporting trout fisheries and riparian habitats. The plant's proper operation helps protect water quality in this high-altitude environment.

The plant discharges into the Uncompahgre River watershed, a tributary of the Colorado River. This high-altitude mountain ecosystem supports cold-water fisheries, including native cutthroat trout, and provides habitat for diverse aquatic invertebrates. Downstream waters flow through the Colorado Plateau and into the Colorado River, which supplies water to millions in the southwestern US. Protecting water quality here is critical for both ecological health and downstream human uses.