DURANGO (AP) - Southwestern Colorado water districts are facing huge costs if they are forced to comply with proposed standards for nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus in waterways.
The proposed standards could cost Durango, Cortez, Bayfield, Pagosa Springs and Telluride water providers millions of dollars.
The chemicals found in fertilizers are essential for plants and animals, but they also can stimulate algae blooms that steal oxygen from aquatic life.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)