Overburdened sewer prompts city to ban new development

A Colorado sewer system is so overburdened that the city is banning new development for 12 months.  The Denver Post reports the Westminster City Council on Monday unanimously adopted an emergency ordinance that freezes acceptance of new, large-scale development proposals in the area served by the Big Dry Creek Interceptor Sewer system network for up to a year.  A staff memo recommending the emergency ordinance says, "Not addressing these system constraints is believed to compromise the health, safety, and welfare of the community with a level of risk that is not acceptable."  The council was briefed last week about the sewer’s capacity, age and condition issues.  The 22-mile-long (35.4-kilometer-long) Big Dry Creek network collects sewage and wastewater from about two-thirds of the city of more than 110,000 people.(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)