Optional Field Trips
Additional 2026 Field Trip Details Coming Soon.
We will be offering a choice of two field trips as an OPTIONAL add-on to the 2026 Onsite Wastewater Mega-Conference on Wednesday, October 28. Pre-registration is required due to expected demand.
The field trips will include bus transportation and lunch. Field trip attendees MUST use the bus transportation provided.
Field Trip #1 Mountains
This field trip features stops at a variety of OWTS systems being used in the mountain areas of Colorado. This field trip offers a tour of the onsite system at the iconic Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, with two additional stops further into the hills to review unique and innovative OWTS being used in cities and facilities across the Rocky Mountains. Presentations will cover the design factors and evaluations that went into system installation decisions, as well as information on how to service each type of system.
Participants on this field trip are advised to please wear comfortable walking shoes. This program involves a moderate level of activity. Participants should have the ability to climb stairs, stand for a period, and walk over uneven ground.
Stop 1: Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater
Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre is one of the most iconic outdoor venues in Colorado, surrounded by beautiful scenery and geological wonders. Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre sits 6,450 feet above sea level and is a unique transitional zone where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains, allowing visitors the chance to see plants, birds and animals of both regions. Red Rocks Amphitheatre is also the only naturally-occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheatre in the world and opened in 1941 to welcome musical acts from across all genres and the world, which continues to this day.
Stop 2: AGS Tour at the Idaho Springs Water Reclamation Facility
Founded in 1859 after the discovery of gold, Idaho Springs is a popular mountain destination, home to a Gold Mine & Mill Museum, the Indian Hot Springs and geothermal caves, and an active water wheel visible from the passing highway. The Idaho Springs Water Resource Reclamation Facility recently underwent an $8.3 million expansion that increased facility volume from 0.6 million gallons per day (MGD) to 0.995 MGD. JVA Consulting Engineers provided a comprehensive facility expansion evaluation that assessed numerous wastewater treatment alternatives for their ability to meet increased flows, loads, and stringent nutrient limitations before settling on Activated Granular Sludge (AGS), which is a new process to the United State. The system upgrade consisted of two phases, with JVA working hand-in-hand with the City and manufacturers to obtain the necessary project and grant funding, and to complete the project within state permitting requirements
Stop 3: Orenco System Tour at Mount Blue Sky Outdoor Education Lab
Orenco System Tour - This system consists of a commercial treatment system that serves one of the two Outdoor Educational Lab locations managed by the Jefferson County School District. The Mount Blue Sky Outdoor Education Lab sits on a property originally known as the Dodge Ranch, and boasts a historic lodge and outbuildings surrounded by incredible views. The Orenco system uses effluent sewer technology to filter, process, and safely disperse wastewater for the facility. This includes through the use of primary tanks, biotube filters, a pump system, and often through the addition of an AdvanTex Treatment system, which uses textile filters to treat the effluent. The tour will review the system in place at the Outdoor Education Lab facility and the routine maintenance required to maintain the system in working order.
Field Trip #2 Metro/ Front Range
This field trip features stops at treatment facilities along the Front Range, including a trip to the groundbreaking RUFUS site from Denver Water. This field trip starts with a tour of the 3rd largest water renewal facility in Colorado, located in the south Denver community of Englewood, and then moves into a tour of RUFUS, a new to Colorado water ReUse system that is collecting, cleaning, and re-using water from fixtures across a six-story administration building for Denver Water. The final stop will include a tour of aTBD facility.
Stop 1: South Platte Renew
South Platte Renew is water renewal facility located in South Denver and is responsible for cleaning nearly 20 million gallons of wastewater daily from over 300,000 residents in the surrounding communities. The facility is publicly owned and operated by the Cities of Littleton and Englewood, and began operations in April 1977, after the individual plants in Littleton and Englewood were unable to meet the updated minimum levels of treatment required by the passing of the 1972 Clean Water Act. The collection system follows the natural drainage pattern in the area that leads to the South Platte River. The overall service area includes both cities' own collection systems and systems built and maintained by 19 local connector districts. The South Platte Renew tour is an interactive program that offers visitors a unique behind-the-scenes look at the science and engineering behind wastewater treatment, as well as an understanding of how wastewater management safeguards the environment. The tour takes place outdoors, so please dress accordingly for the weather.
Visitors will be supplied with PPE and all participants must wear closed-toed shoes during the tour.
Stop 2: Denver Water/ RUFUS
Denver Water’s RUFUS (ReUse for Us) is an innovative, on-site water recycling system that has been in use since 2024 in their administration building, located close to the heart of Denver. The RUFUS system collects water from fixtures across the six-story building, including toilets, urinals & sinks, and then cleans the water for reuse in the building’s toilets and urinals. This system is the first of its kind in Colorado to receive approval from state health officials, with other similar systems currently operating in Washington DC, California, Oregon, and Washington, among others. RUFUS was a major piece of a multi-pronged water management & redevelopment effort started by Denver Water in 2012, with the goal of increasing sustainability through the building during the redevelopment effort started by Denver Water in 2012, with the goal of increasing sustainability through the building during the redevelopment opportunity.
Stop 3: TBD
The third stop of the tour will include a stop at a facility that highlights additional aspects of wastewater treatment solutions in the Denver Metro/ Front Range area.