ABOUT OUR WATER

WATER SOURCES

 As part of the District's objective to have a long-term reliable water supply, the District has diversified its water sources.  The District has three primary alternatives for potable supply.  The District contracts with Denver Water for a substantial portion of annual needs from Denver's renewable water supply.  The District is a member of the South Metro WISE Authority.  Through this Authority, the District receives additional renewable water from a partnership with Denver and Aurora Water.  The District has several deep wells that provide high quality water from regional aquifers.  In addition to these diverse sources, the District re-uses its treated wastewater for much of the District's irrigation supply. Learn more about the South Metro Water Supply Authority.

HOW WE BRING WATER TO YOU &  MAJOR PROJECTS

The District routinely upgrades the District infrastructure and service by undertaking projects that improve water quality, system reliability, enhance conservation, or meet changing environmental regulations.  Some of the projects you may witness in progress in 2020 include the following:

South Metro WISE Authority 

• The District is a member of the South Metro Water Supply Authority WISE project (Water Infrastructure & Supply Efficiency).  Through this partnership with Denver Water, Aurora Water, and several Denver southeast metro area water providers, the District has access to up to 500 acre feet per year of renewable water supplies.  The District's participation in this Authority has included participation pipeline acquisitions,  water storage facitilities and construction of system connections.  In 2020 and 2021, the Authority is constructing pipeline connections to the Aurora Water Binney water treatment facility near the Aurora Reservoir.

Well Iron & Manganese Filtration

• Low levels of iron and manganese found in some of the District water supplies are not a health concern, but their presence can occasionally result in water discoloration or a mild metallic taste.  After consultation with water quality professionals and pilot testing, the District is installing a new filtration system designed to remove the presence of iron and manganese in our water supply so that our customers can enjoy even higher water quality.

Aquifer Storage

• Many water providers in the southeast metro area have used or are planning to use underground aquifer storage to manage water supplies.  The District is obtaining permits and adding equipment that will allow it to inject and store surface water in deep well aquifers.  This project will allow the District to better manage water supplies on an annual basis as weel as support supply in drought conditions.

Clay Sewer Pipe Lining

• Portions of the original wastewater collection system in Inverness consisted of clay pipes.  Clay is an environmentally friendly material but over time some cracking and aging has occurred.  The District is in its second phase of lining the clay sewer lines to seal and strengthen the collection system. This lining will improve pipes in Inverness, minimizing leaks caused by erosion of pipes.

GROUND WATER DEPLETION

All water sources in Colorado are under stress.  Long term supply issues have been identified due to recent drought conditions and growth.   Great accomplishments have been made in the last 20 years to reduce per person water consumption through low flow fixtures/toilets and with conservation efforts by the public.   Deep wells supplying the District have stabilized over the last several years after some initial drops in the early 2000.    “About the Aquifer” is an older but information packed article about ground water in the Denver area.  The District has been a leader in southeast metro water districts on obtaining and developing renewable surface  water supplies. 

DISCOLORED WATER SOMETIMES

Discolored (red or tea colored) water is caused by naturally occurring minerals in well water that accumulate in system pipes over the years.  Households may experience discolored water during times of hydrant flushing, district water line maintenance or other system pressure disturbances.  If this happens, avoid doing laundry since the discolored water can stain linens.  If staining does occur, avoid drying the clothing so the stain does not set in.   Re-wash when the water is clear with a product called Iron Out, an iron stain removal powder found at most hardware stores.   Running water can help speed up the return to clarity.  Put this water to good use by watering plants or grass through a garden hose if possible.  The discolored water poses no health risk to people or animals.  

WATER QUALITY TESTING

The District complies with all State and Federal (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Act mandates and drinking water regulations.  The water is tested monthly for a standard set of potential contaminants.   More extensive annual testing is done and reported in the State required "Consumer Confidence Report," (CCR) that explains important aspects of our water such as where it comes from and the level of contaminants as compared to allowable measurements.  These reports  can be found on under the "Reports/Forms" link on the main menu. 

IS THERE FLUORIDE IN MY WATER? 

The District does not add fluoride to the water.  Fluoride in our well water is naturally occurring.  The District strictly follows the Colorado Primary Drinking Water Regulations and tests for fluoride which has routinely been around 1.4 parts per million (ppm).  The maximum contaminant level allowed is 4 ppm.  The American Dental Association recommended leveel in water is 0.7 to 1.2 ppm.

IS THERE LEAD IN MY WATER?

A tiny trace amount (3 parts per billion) contained in District water is within acceptable, non-harmful levels and comes mainly from natural deposits, however the majority of the trace amounts in our water actually originate within the home itself.      Homes that are either very old (pre-WWII with lead pipes) or some homes built up and until the mid 1980s may have lead-based solder (later banned) used in copper pipe joints,  Led solder was slowly phasing out into the 1980s until finally banned.  To reduce lead in your water that is coming from house hold plumbing       Flush tap water for 30 seconds.       Use only water from the cold water tap for drinking, cooking, and for making baby formula.  Hot tap water dissolves lead faster and is likely to contain higher levels of lead if present.      When repairing or replacing plumbing, insist on lead free solder and lead free fixtures.  For more on the subject of health and safety involving lead go to www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead    

DO I NEED A WATER FILTER?

Water provided by the District meets or exceeds all safe drinking water regulations.  So in terms of safety as set forth by EPA regulations, the answer is no.  However, given some of our supply is from wells, more dissolved minerals and sometimes trace amounts of sands are present.  This results in “hard” water that can be more corrosive on appliances and fixtures.  Hard water often requires the use of more soaps and detergents than soft water.   Water filters can range from one of the highest and most expensive purification systems (Reverse Osmosis or “RO” which eliminates nearly all foreign substances) to more simple membrane filters to water softeners.   All systems will have a positive impact on reducing hardness.  RO systems are usually placed on a single faucet, like the kitchen sink where drinking water is drawn, due to cost and greatly reduced water flow.  More basic fixture specific or whole house membrane systems can be fairly inexpensive to install and provide good sediment reduction.  Higher levels of filtration can be obtained with more expensive/sophisticated filter cartridges.  Water softeners or conditioners filter well, especially for hardness, but use a filter backwash process that typically uses salt and water (up to 50 gallons a cycle).   This backwash will have an impact on water usage and on your septic system if you are not on the municipal sewer system.   There is not a consensus about the impact of the salty brine that is discharged into septic system upon backwash.  The key concerns are the buildup of salts in the soil with subsequent impact on pine trees and the corrosiveness of the salt on the septic tank and leach field piping.