2 Larimer County systems report lead contamination in drinking water

Two small drinking water systems were the only Larimer County entities to report lead contamination above regulatory levels during the most recent sampling period, state officials told the Coloradoan.

The drinking water systems are Fox Acres Community Services Corporation, which serves a small area in Red Feather Lakes, and Spring Canyon Water and Sanitation District, which serves people in homes surrounding Horsetooth Reservoir. Managers of both water systems told the Coloradoan the lead did not come from their water sources.

Lead contamination in Northern Colorado rarely comes from the water source itself. Rather, contamination in the region almost always results from a lack of or insufficient corrosion control during treatment. Corrosion control additives can prevent lead from leaching from pipe soldering into drinking water. Regulatory sampling usually targets homes built before the EPA effectively banned lead soldering in 1986.

The rest of Larimer County's water systems, including many that have had lead exceedances in recent years, passed regulatory tests for lead during the most recent sampling period at the end of 2017.

Want to see how your water stacks up? We've included at the end of this story a list of the most recent test results for a range of Larimer County water districts.

Fox Acres provides about 300 people with well water, said Ted Carter, vice president and general manager of Fox Acres Community Services. Two of 10 samples collected in December 2017 had lead levels above the regulatory action level of 15 parts per billion, bringing the system's 90th percentile value to 28 ppb. A 90th percentile value is a statistical measure meant to show whether the majority of the water system meets regulations.

The 15 ppb measure is a regulatory standard, not a public health standard. Health officials have identified no "safe" amount of lead in drinking water. High levels of lead in tap water can cause health effects if the lead in the water enters the blood stream and elevates the blood lead level, which is a greater risk for children and pregnant women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Fox Acres' lead exceedances came from samples collected in one home and the oldest business in the system area, Carter said. 

"It's obvious to us all that this is a site-specific issue," Carter said, adding that improper grounding of water pipes, internal lead soldering or an issue with a specific faucet might be the culprit.

The system will work with the two sites to ensure their lead levels meet regulations, whether that means facilitating the purchase of new faucets or enhancing pipe grounding, Carter said.

At Spring Canyon Water and Sanitation District, which serves about 2,100 people near Horsetooth Reservoir, three of 20 water samples had lead concentrations above the regulatory action level. The district-wide 90th percentile value was 20 ppb during the sampling period from November to December 2017, according to state data.

Spring Canyon leaders hired an engineer to pinpoint a cost-effective program to reduce lead corrosion in the system. The lead levels were a result of corrosion from lead soldering on pipes in some older homes, operator Sean Dibble told the Coloradoan last week. The water district doesn't have any lead pipes or copper pipes with lead soldering in its main distribution system.

Two Northern Colorado water systems that reported higher lead levels in late 2016 entered compliance last year. One was the Carter Lake Filter Plant, which serves the Central Weld County and Little Thompson water districts. The filter plant reported a 2.8 ppb 90th percentile value during its July through December 2017 testing period, plant manager Rick Whittet said.

The plant tackled lead by adding a phosphate-based corrosion inhibitor and a sulfate-based coagulant to water during the treatment process. Lead levels had previously topped 20 ppb in 2015 and 2016.

"The changes we made in 2016 worked, and we've seen a decrease in every sampling period since," Whittet said.

The other Northern Colorado system to enter compliance was the Town of Platteville, which is one of the municipalities that relies on the Carter Lake Filter Plant to treat its water. Platteville reported a 90th percentile value of 2 ppb during a September 2017 testing period, according to state data. The system serves 2,750 people and exceeded the action level from 2011 to 2016 with 90th percentile values ranging from 16 to 34 ppb.

Northern Colorado water lead levels

Here's a partial listing of 90th percentile values for Northern Colorado water systems. The values are based on the most recent testing period included in each system's draft consumer confidence report. All are below the regulatory action level of 15 ppb.

City of Fort Collins: 3.7 ppb

Fort Collins-Loveland: 3 ppb

City of Loveland: 2.2 ppb

Town of Berthoud: 9 ppb

East Larimer County: 4 ppb

Town of Windsor: 3.9 ppb

Town of Wellington: 3 ppb

To search for other water systems, visit colorado.gov/cdphe/ccr.

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