The Cherry Creek Basin Water Quality Authority is a Governor-designated Management Agency, under Clean Water Act Section 208. As such, it has an important role in the management of water quality in the basin. Authority roles currently include review of site location approvals for wastewater treatment plants and lift stations, and providing recommendations to the State regarding approval, denial, or conditional approval of such applications. CCBWQA has been pursuing additional opportunities to fulfill its Management Agency role.

Three levels of management agencies are recognized in the federal Clean Water Act. The Statewide Water Quality Management Plan (SWQMP) defines their different roles.

Planning agencies develop regional or statewide water quality management plans (Commonly called “Section 208 Plans”) that evaluate regional/statewide existing water quality conditions, identify pollutant sources, evaluate the cumulative impacts of multiple point and nonpoint sources in a regional area, and develop appropriate water quality controls, including recommendations for wastewater treatment plant effluent limits. This is a large part of what the Cherry Creek Basin Water Quality Authority already does at the sub-regional level of the Cherry Creek watershed.

Operating agencies carry out day-to-day wastewater treatment plant functions, and ensure water quality requirements are met. These are typically wastewater treatment plants.

Management agencies carry out the Section 208 Plans. In Colorado, general-purpose local governments and special districts are designated as management agencies; this is because the coordination of point source, nonpoint source, and planning decisions can be vested in a single entity.