Welcome to the Environmental Laboratory Services Division of the City of Grand Junction. Our Division consists of two labs: The Water Quality Laboratory located at the City's Water Treatment Plant and the Environmental Laboratory located at the Persigo Wastewater Treatment Facility.

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What's New

The City of Grand Junction Water Quality Laboratory has recently received National Laboratory Certification for the Analyses of Cryptosporidiun and Giardia. For more details please see the article in our Water Quality Report.

The Grand Junction Water Quality Laboratory was honored with an award for Outstanding Water Laboratory at the 2004 Rocky Mountain Section of American Water Works Association conference.

The City of Grand Junction Water Treatment Facility reduced energy and nautral gas comsumption at its facility during 2006 with the installation of geothermal heating. The cooling system uses geo-exchange plates mounted in the raw water basins for the transfer of energy (heat) .

The system was installed in the summer of 2006 and nautral gas usage for heating the main water treatment facility was reduced by over 50%. The energy savings in Kilowatt (Kw) reduction is harder to determine because staff also completed the installation of variable frequency drive units on the two 100 horsepower backwash pumps. These drive units decreased the facility's kilowat demand from an average of 120 Kw per month or a 25% reduction power usage.

As regional water supplies decline and Colorado's population and industries increase , future water demands may not be met within our State. States like Colorado may in the near future rely on gray water or water that comes from showers, baths, barthroom sinks and washing machines to meet shortfalls in water supplies.

Researchers at the CSU have started a three year research project to study the effects of irrigating with graywater. Specifically, the researches are looking at negative effect, if any on humans or plants. The City of Grand Junction Environmental Laboratory performed testing on samples collected by the CSU Master Garderner students for this research project. The findings from the analyses of these data are still pending but the findings could guide Colorado lawmakers in regulating the use jof graywater.

The City of Grand Junction is proud to have partnered with CSU Extension in their quest to develop a potentially invaluable management tool in water reuse.

Anuual Children's Water Festival at Mesa College

The Ute Water Conservancy District, Clifton Water District, City of Grand Junction, and the Town of Palisade, in cooperation with numerous agencies statewide, produce the annual Children's Water Festival at Mesa State College in Grand Junction. Classes, demonstrations and outdoor activities of this fun two-day event are designed to introduce 5th graders, parents and teachers to the importance of water to Colorado. Over 2400 fifth graders are expected to attend the 14th annual Water Festival May , 2010.

Learning about water was never so much fun.

For registration information, please email Jo Holcomb, Laboratory Manager
or call (970) 256-4174.

This page updated Thursday, October 29, 2009

For more infomation, click on one of the following selections:

Water Quality Laboratory

Water Quality Annual Report

Water Lab Frequently Asked Questions

Water Treatment Plant Home Page

Environmental Laboratory (Wastewater)

Wastewater Quality Report

Wastewater Treatment Plant

Utilities Home Page

Wastewater Definitions