A tub used in anodizing aluminum parts fills with metal-heavy water. Courtesy Qualtek Manufacturing Inc. An average of 38 million gallons of wastewater flow into Colorado Springs Utilities wastewater treatment plants every single day, but that doesnât mean anything can be flushed down the drain. Of the 144,000 customers sending liquid waste into those systems, Colorado Springs Utilities identifies 27 as âsignificant industrial usersâ (SIUs), many of which handle toxic metals in their day-to-day operations. Depending on their location, waste from SIUs can be sent to one of two processing plants in Colorado Springs: the J.D. Phillips Water Resource Recovery Facility or the Las Vegas Street Water Resource Recovery Facility.Â