Water temperature standards in Colorado will be reviewed at a state hearing, capping a three-year effort to revise criteria most say are outdated and unscientific. Two versions of regulations are being proposed, one by the Water Quality Control Division and one by the so-called "Temperature Group," a coalition of municipal and industrial interests. The Temperature Group includes Aurora, Boulder, Colorado Springs and Denver water departments, power companies, major metro wastwater districts and mining associations. The Northern Colorado and Southeastern Colorado water conservancy districts also have been involved. The group argues that the state's proposal does not provide flexibility to deal with site-sprecific conditions. The state provison calls for daily fluctuation of temperatures of no more than 3 degrees Celsius. Plains streams and rivers, however, can vary by 8 to 10 C in an hour naturally, making the standard unrealistic.

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