The State Water Quality Division says nutrients impact water nationally, but it's a problem that can be fixed in Colorado.

Still, adding new regulations can be costly for treatment plants and their customers.

The Colorado Water Quality Control Commission is considering two new rules, both aimed at requiring treatment plants to lower nitrate and phosphorus levels.

If those nutrients are in excess they can cause aesthetic water quality problems or algae.

Ute Water says these types of proposals are nothing new.

The plant is already regulated under The Safe Drinking Act and says there are pros and cons to adding stricter regulations.

?A pro to this is that where there are impacts from nutrients they'll hopefully mitigate those impacts,? Dave Payne with Ute Water Conservancy District said. ?However, the opposition to this regulation is that the standards, the numeric standards, they're looking to implement don't necessarily have a direct cause and effect to any given water body.?

Ute Water says these types of regulations have been rejected in the past because nutrient impacts are site specific.

If the new rules are approved new monitoring and treatment equipment will be required and those costs will be passed on to customers.

The water quality control division has been working on this proposal over the last ten years.

It says this expensive treatment process needs to start now because the problem will only get worse as the population gets bigger.