Water Treatment
2007 Water Quality Report
Water Treatment The City provides water to approximately 3500 homes, businesses and institutions in our community. Additionally, water storage capacity is available in the City’s reservoir and tanks to meet the extra demands of events such as fires and water main breaks. 2006 Water Facts MGD = million gallons per day
GPD = gallons per day - 2006 average population served - 8,300
- Peak 7-day water demand - 1.20 MGD (June 9-15)
- 2006 total raw water per capita - 89 GPD
- 2006 residential water taps - 38
- 2006 multi-family water taps - 4
- 2006 commercial water taps - 6
Water Resources In 2006, 69% of the City’s raw water came from local wells and springs; 31% was piped in from Woodland Park’s transbasin water rights. The tenth production well in the City’s well field was completed in 2006. Continued improvements will increase reliability for existing customers and provide water for moderate City growth through the next two decades.
Lead in Drinking Water
Lead in Drinking Water
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the City of Woodland Park are concerned about lead in your drinking water. This brochure explains the simple steps you can take to protect yourself by reducing your exposure to lead in drinking water.
Health Effects Of Lead
Lead is found throughout the environment in lead-based paint, air, soil, household dust, food, certain types of pottery porcelain and pewter, and water. Lead can pose a significant risk to your health if too much of it enters your body. Lead builds up in the body over many years and can cause damage to the brain, red blood cells and kidneys. The greatest risk is to young children and pregnant women. Amounts of lead that won't hurt adults can slow down normal mental and physical development of growing bodies. In addition, a child at play often comes into contact with sources of lead contamination -- like dirt and dust -- that rarely affect an adult. It is important to wash children's hands and toys often, and to try to make sure they only put food in their mouths.
Lead In Drinking Water
Lead in drinking water, although rarely the sole cause of lead poisoning, can significantly increase a person's total lead exposure, particularly the exposure of infants who drink baby formulas and concentrated juices that are mixed with water. The EPA estimates that drinking water can make up 20 percent or more of a person's total exposure to lead.
Lead is unusual among drinking water contaminants in that it seldom occurs naturally in water supplies like groundwater, rivers and lakes. Lead enters drinking water primarily as a result of the corrosion, or wearing away, of materials containing lead in the water distribution system and household plumbing. These materials include lead-based solder used to join copper pipe, brass and chrome-plated brass faucets, and in some cases, pipes made of lead that connect houses and buildings to water mains (service lines).
In 1986, Congress banned the use of lead solder containing greater than 0.2% lead, and restricted the lead content of faucets, pipes and other plumbing materials to 8.0%.
When water stands in lead pipes or plumbing systems containing lead for several hours or more, the lead may dissolve into your drinking water. This means the first water drawn from the tap in the morning, or later in the afternoon if the water has not been used all day, can contain fairly high levels of lead.
Steps You Can Take To
Reduce Exposure To Lead In Drinking Water
Let the water run from the tap before using it for drinking or cooking any time the water in a faucet has gone unused for more than six hours. The longer water resides in plumbing the more lead it may contain. Flushing the tap means running the cold water faucet for about 15-30 seconds. Although toilet flushing or showering flushes water through a portion of the plumbing system, you still need to flush the water in each faucet before using it for drinking or cooking. Flushing tap water is a simple and inexpensive measure you can take to protect your health. It usually uses less than one gallon of water.
Do not cook with, or drink water from the hot water tap. Hot water can dissolve more lead more quickly than cold water. If you need hot water, draw water from the cold tap and then heat it.
The steps described above will reduce the lead concentrations in your drinking water. However, if you are still concerned, you may wish to use bottled water for drinking and cooking.
You can consult a variety of sources for additional information. Your family doctor or pediatrician can perform a blood test for lead and provide you with information about the health effects of lead. State and local government agencies that can be contacted include:
- Woodland Park Water Treatment at (719) 687-1351 can provide you with information about the City's water supply; and
- The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment at (303) 692-2000, the Teller County Environmental Health Department at (719) 687-5250, or the Teller County Public Health Department at (719) 687-6416 can provide you with information about the health effects of lead.
Click on the following link for a list of state certified drinking water laboratories that you can call to have your water tested for lead.
http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/lr/certification/SDWlist.pdf
The EPA website at www.epa.gov has more information on lead in drinking water, its health effects, and how to reduce exposure.
Additional Resources:
www.epa.gov/safewater
www.nsfconsumer.org, water filter information, 877-867-3435
www.wqa.org, water filter information, 630-505-0160
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