Water and wastewater engineering in Thornton, Colorado

Water and wastewater engineering in Thornton

Thornton sits north of Denver along I-25. Most of the city is in Adams County, and part of it reaches into Weld County.

MES designs water and wastewater infrastructure and site civil work for projects in and around Thornton. That covers water and sewer service for new sites, main extensions, lift stations, grading and drainage.

How review works in Thornton

The City of Thornton's Development Engineering group oversees the design and construction of public and private infrastructure in the city. It holds pre-application meetings, reviews submittals and inspects the improvements.

Civil plans follow the city's Standards and Specifications, which have separate sections for water, sanitary sewer and storm drainage. The city publishes checklists for construction plans, utility reports and drainage reports.

For drainage, Thornton's standards name the Urban Storm Drainage Criteria Manual as the main design resource. The Mile High Flood District, formerly the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District, publishes it.

The city also requires its own Stormwater Quality Permit when land disturbance is over one acre, or under one acre as part of a larger common plan of development.

State approvals sit on top of city review. Construction that disturbs one acre or more needs CDPHE construction stormwater coverage. A new lift station over 2,000 gallons per day needs CDPHE site location and design approval.

Sites in unincorporated Adams County follow the county's process instead. It usually starts with a conceptual review meeting. How Adams County project review works.

Work in and near Thornton

In Thornton, MES completed civil site plan work for a drive-up water kiosk site. It is one of the Colorado sites in a multi-state kiosk program. See the kiosk program.

In nearby Brighton, MES designed a wastewater lift station, from the site plan and hydraulic calculations through the site plan application. See the Brighton lift station.

In Commerce City, MES designed a waterline replacement for a mobile home park, with a hydraulic model and agency reviews. See the Commerce City waterline.

Common questions

Who reviews civil plans for a site in Thornton?

Inside city limits, the City of Thornton's Development Engineering group reviews civil plans and inspects the work. Unincorporated sites nearby go through the county instead.

Does a Thornton project need a CDPHE permit?

Often, yes. Construction that disturbs one acre or more needs coverage under the CDPHE construction stormwater general permit. A new lift station or treatment plant over 2,000 gallons per day also needs CDPHE approval.