Table of Contents
Can You Drink Tap Water in Pueblo?
Yes, Pueblo's tap water is generally considered safe to drink as Pueblo has no active health based violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) that we are aware of. Other factors such as lead piping in a home, or low levels of pollutants on immunocompromised individuals, should also be considered, however. To find more recent info we might have, you can check out our boil water notice page, the city's water provider website, or Pueblo's local Twitter account.
According the EPA’s ECHO database, from April 30, 2019 to June 30, 2022, Pueblo's water utility, Pueblo Board of Ww, had 0 violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act. For more details on the violations, please see our violation history section below. The last violation for Pueblo was resolved on Dec. 31, 2018. This assessment is based on the Pueblo Board of Ww water system, other water systems in the city may have different results.
While tap water that meets the EPA health guidelines generally won’t make you sick to your stomach, it can still contain regulated and unregulated contaminants present in trace amounts that could potentially cause health issues over the long-run. These trace contaminants may also impact immunocompromised and vulnerable individuals.
The EPA is reviewing if it’s current regulations around pollutant levels in tap water are strict enough, and the health dangers posed by unregulated pollutants, like PFAS.
Water Quality Report for Pueblo Tap Water
The most recent publicly available numbers for measured contaminant levels in Pueblo tap water are in its 2020 Water Quality Report. As you can see, there are levels which the EPA considers to be acceptable, but being below the maximum allowable level doesn’t necessarily mean the water is healthy.
Lead in tap water, for example, is currently allowed at up to 15ppb by the EPA, but it has set the ideal goal for lead at zero. This highlights how meeting EPA standards doesn’t necessarily mean local tap water is healthy.
EPA regulations continue to change as it evaluates the long term impacts of chemicals and updates drinking water acceptable levels. The rules around arsenic, as well as, lead and copper are currently being re-evaluated.
There are also a number of "emerging" contaminants that are not currently. For example, PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), for which the EPA has issued a health advisory. PFAS are called "forever chemicals" since they tend not to break down in the environment or the human body and can accumulate over time.
We recommend looking at the contaminants present in Pueblo's water quality reports, or getting your home's tap water tested to see if you should be filtering your water.
Pueblo Tap Water Safe Drinking Water Act Violation History - Prior 10 Years
Below is a ten year history of violations for the water system named Pueblo Board of Ww for Pueblo in Colorado. For more details please see the "What do these Violations Mean?" section below.
From Oct. 1, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2018, Pueblo had 2 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violations with the violation category being Monitoring and Reporting, more specifically, the violation code was Monitoring and Reporting (DBP) which falls into the Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule rule code group, and the Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule rule code family for the following contaminant codes: TTHM, Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5).
Is there Lead in Pueblo Water?
Based on the EPA’s ECHO Database, 90% of the samples taken from the Pueblo water system, Pueblo Board of Ww, between sample start date and sample end date, were at or below, 0.0023 mg/L of lead in Pueblo water. This is 15.3% of the 0.015 mg/L action level. This means 10% of the samples taken from Pueblo contained more lead.
While Pueblo water testing may have found 0.0023 mg/L of lead in its water, that does not mean your water source has the same amount. The amount of lead in water in a city can vary greatly from neighborhood to neighborhood, or even building to building. Many buildings, particularly older ones, have lead pipes or service lines which can be a source of contamination. To find out if your home has lead, we recommend getting you water tested.
No amount of lead in water is healthy, only less dangerous. As lead accumulates in our bodies over time, even exposure to relatively small amounts can have negative health effects. For more information, please check out our Lead FAQ page.
Are there PFAS in Pueblo Tap Water?
Currently, testing tap water for PFAS isn’t mandated on a national level. We do have a list of military bases where there have been suspected or confirmed leaks. There appears to be at least one military base - Pueblo SWMU - near Pueblo with suspected leaks.
With many potential sources of PFAS in tap water across the US, the best information we currently have about which cities have PFAS in their water is this ewg map, which you can check to see if Pueblo has been evaluated for yet.
Our stance is better safe than sorry, and that it makes sense to try to purify the tap water just in case.
Pueblo SDWA Violation History Table - Prior 10 Years
| Compliance Period | Status | Health-Based? | Category Code | Code | Rule Code | Contaminant Code | Rule Group Code | Rule Family Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/01/2018 - 12/31/2018 | Resolved | No | Monitoring and Reporting (MR) | Monitoring and Reporting (DBP) (27) | Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (220) | TTHM (2950) | Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (200) | Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (220) |
| 10/01/2018 - 12/31/2018 | Resolved | No | Monitoring and Reporting (MR) | Monitoring and Reporting (DBP) (27) | Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (220) | Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) (2456) | Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (200) | Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (220) |
What do these Violations Mean?
Safe Drinking Water Act Violations categories split into two groups, health based, and non-health based. Generally, health based violations are more serious, though non-health based violations can also be cause for concern.
Health Based Violations
- Maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) - maximum allowed contaminant level was exceeded.
- Maximum residual disinfectant levels (MRDLs) - maximum allowed disinfectant level was exceeded.
- Other violations (Other) - the exact required process to reduce the amounts of contaminants in drinking water was not followed.
Non-Health Based Violations
- Monitoring and reporting violations (MR, MON) - failure to conduct the required regular monitoring of drinking water quality, and/or to submit monitoring results on time.
- Public notice violations (Other) - failure to immediately alert consumers if there is a serious problem with their drinking water that may pose a risk to public health.
- Other violations (Other) - miscellaneous violations, such as failure to issue annual consumer confidence reports or maintain required records.
SDWA Table Key
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Compliance Period | Dates of the compliance period. |
| Status |
Current status of the violation.
|
| Health-Based? | Whether the violation is health based. |
| Category Code |
The category of violation that is reported.
|
| Code | A full description of violation codes can be accessed in the SDWA_REF_CODE_VALUES (CSV) table. |
| Contaminant Code | A code value that represents a contaminant for which a public water system has incurred a violation of a primary drinking water regulation. |
| Rule Code |
Code for a National Drinking Water rule.
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| Rule Group Code |
Code that uniquely identifies a rule group.
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| Rule Family Code |
Code for rule family.
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For more clarification please visit the EPA's data dictionary.
Pueblo Water - Frequently Asked Questions
| By Phone: | 719-584-0266 |
| By Email: | jpurfield@pueblowater.org |
| By Mail: | 319 W 4TH ST PUEBLO, CO, 81003 |
Existing customers can login to their Pueblo Board of Ww account to pay their Pueblo water bill by clicking here.
If you want to pay your Pueblo Board of Ww bill online and haven't made an account yet, you can create an account online. Please click here to create your account to pay your Pueblo water bill.
If you don't want to make an account, or can't remember your account, you can make a one-time payment towards your Pueblo water bill without creating an account using a one time payment portal with your account number and credit or debit card. Click here to make a one time payment.
Moving to a new house or apartment in Pueblo means you will often need to put the water in your name with Pueblo Board of Ww. In order to put the water in your name, please click the link to the start service form below. Start service requests for water bills typically take two business days.
Leaving your house or apartment in Pueblo means you will likely need to take your name off of the water bill with Pueblo Board of Ww. In order to take your name off the water bill, please click the link to the stop service form below. Stop service for water bills requests typically take two business days.
The estimated price of bottled water
$1.75 in USD (1.5-liter)
USER SUBMITTED RATINGS
- Drinking Water Pollution and Inaccessibility
- Water Pollution
- Drinking Water Quality and Accessibility
- Water Quality
The above data is comprised of subjective, user submitted opinions about the water quality and pollution in Pueblo, measured on a scale from 0% (lowest) to 100% (highest).
Related FAQS
Pueblo Water Quality Report (Consumer Confidence Report)
The EPA mandates that towns and cities consistently monitor and test their tap water. They must report their findings in an annual Consumer Confidence Report. Below is the most recent water quality report from Pueblo's Water. If you would like to see the original version of the report, please click here.
For the calendar year 2020
Covering data for the calendar year 2020
Board of Water Works
319 W. 4th Street, Pueblo, CO, 81003
719.584.0250
www.pueblowater.org
Public Water System ID: CO0151500
WE’RE HERE FOR YOU
We are pleased to present to you this year’s water quality report. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. To learn more about what you can do to help protect your drinking water sources, any questions about the Drinking Water Quality Report, to learn more about our system, or to attend scheduled public meetings, please contact Don Colalancia at
Esta es información importante. Si no la pueden leer, necesitan que alguien se la traduzca.
GENERAL INFORMATION
All drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environ- mental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791) or by vis- iting: https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water.
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immunocompromised persons such as persons with cancer un- dergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV-AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk of infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. For more information about contaminants and potential health effects, or to receive a copy of the U.S. Environmental Protec- tion Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and microbio- logical contaminants call the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (1-800-426-4791).
GENERAL INFORMATION
The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dis- solves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substanc- es resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. Contaminants that may be present in source water include:
•Microbial contaminants: Viruses and bacteria that may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.
•Inorganic contaminants: Salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban storm water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.
•Pesticides and herbicides: May come from a variety of sources, such as agriculture, urban storm wa- ter runoff, and residential uses.
•Radioactive contaminants: Can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.
•Organic chemical contaminants: Including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by- products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and also may come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.
In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environ- ment prescribes regulations limiting the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public wa- ter systems. The Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that must provide the same protection for public health.
WHAT ABOUT LEAD?
If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health prob- lems (especially for pregnant women and young children). It is possible that lead levels at your home may be higher than other homes in the community as a result of materials used in your home’s plumbing. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. Additional information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791) or at: epa.gov/safewater/lead.
SWAP
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment provided us with a Source Water Assessment Report for our water supply. For gen- eral information, or to obtain a copy of the report, please visit www.colorado.gov/cdphe/ccr. The report is located under “Guidance: Source Water Assessment Reports.” Search the table using: 151500, PUEBLO BOARD OF WW. For more information on the report, contact the CDPHE by calling 303-692-2000. The Source Water Assessment Re- port provides a screening-level eval- uation of potential contamination that could occur. It does not mean that the contamination has or will occur. We use this information to evaluate the need to improve our current wa- ter treatment capabilities and pre- pare for future contamination threats. This can help us ensure that quality water is delivered to your homes. In addition, the assessment results were used to complete a source water protection plan (SWPP) in 2019.
Sources (Water Type - Source Type) |
Potential Source(s) of Contamination |
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EPA Superfund Sites, EPA Abandoned Contami- |
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nated Sites, EPA Hazardous Waste Generators, |
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EPA Chemical Inventory/Storage Sites, EPA Toxic |
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Release Inventory Sites, Permitted Wastewater |
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Discharge Sites, Aboveground, Underground and |
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PUEBLO RESERVOIR (Surface |
Leaking Storage Tank Sites, Solid Waste Sites, |
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Existing/Abandoned Mine Sites, Concentrated Ani- |
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ARKANSAS RIVER INTAKE 2 (Surface |
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mal Feeding Operations, Other Facilities, Commer- |
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ARKANSAS RIVER INTAKE 1 (Surface |
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cial/Industrial/Transportation, High Intensity Resi- |
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dential, Low Intensity Residential, Urban Recrea- |
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tional Grasses, Quarries / Strip Mines / Gravel Pits, |
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Row Crops, Fallow, Small Grains, Pasture / Hay, |
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Deciduous Forest, Evergreen Forest, Mixed Forest, |
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Septic Systems, Oil / Gas Wells, Road Miles |
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WE TREAT WATER RIGHT
Untreated water flows into the Whitlock Treatment Plant via a pipeline from Pueblo Reservoir. The treatment process begins with the addition of activated carbon to re- move organic, taste and odor compounds. The water is disinfected using chlorine and ammonia (chloramination) and clarified us- ing alum and polymers designed specifically for drinking water treatment processes. The clarified water is brought into the filter plant, where it passes through layers of fine granu- lated anthracite coal and sand, producing a clear, turbidity-free water. Fluoride occurs naturally in the water, but a small amount is added to the filtered water as necessary to meet state standards. Finally, the high quali- ty drinking water is pumped from the treat- ment plant and reaches Pueblo Water through its distribution system.
TERMS & ABBREVIATIONS
Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) − The highest level of a
contaminant allowed in drinking water.
Treatment Technique (TT) − A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.
Action Level (AL) − The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment and other regulatory require- ments.
Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL) − The highest
level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convinc- ing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for con- trol of microbial contaminants.
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) − The level of a
contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.
Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG) − The
level of a drinking water disinfectant, below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.
Violation (No Abbreviation) − Failure to meet a Colorado Pri- mary Drinking Water Regulation.
Formal Enforcement Action (No Abbreviation) − Escalated
action taken by the State (due to the risk to public health, or number or severity of violations) to bring a
Variance and Exemptions (V/E) − Department permission not
to meet a MCL or treatment technique under certain conditions.
Gross Alpha (No Abbreviation) − Gross alpha particle activity
compliance value. It includes
222, and uranium.
Picocuries per liter (pCi/L) − Measure of the radioactivity in water.
Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU) − Measure of the clarity or
cloudiness of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticea- ble to the typical person.
Compliance Value (No Abbreviation) – Single or calculated
value used to determine if regulatory contaminant level (e.g. MCL) is met. Examples of calculated values are the 90th Percen- tile, Running Annual Average (RAA) and Locational Running Annual Average (LRAA).
Average
Range (R) − Lowest value to the highest value.
Sample Size (n) − Number or count of values (i.e. number of water samples collected).
Parts per million = Milligrams per liter (ppm = mg/L) − One
part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or a sin- gle penny in $10,000.
Parts per billion = Micrograms per liter (ppb = ug/L) − One
part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.
Not Applicable (N/A) – Does not apply or not available.
Level 1 Assessment – A study of the water system to identify potential problems and determine (if possible) why total coliform bacteria have been found in our water system.
Level 2 Assessment – A very detailed study of the water sys- tem to identify potential problems and determine (if possible) why an E. coli MCL violation has occurred and/or why total coli- form bacteria have been found in our water system on multiple occasions.
DETECTED CONTAMINANTS
Pueblo Board of Water Works (Pueblo Water) routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. The following table(s) show all detections found in the period of January 1 to December 31, 2020 unless otherwise noted. The State of Colorado requires us to monitor for certain contami- nants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year, or the system is not considered vulnerable to this type of contamination. Therefore, some of our data, though representa- tive, may be more than one year old. Violations and Formal En- forcement Actions, if any, are reported in the next section of this report.
Note: Only detected contaminants sampled within the last 5 years appear in this report. If no tables appear in this section then no contaminants were detected in the last round of monitoring.
Disinfectants Sampled in the Distribution System
- Requirement: At least 95% of samples per period (month or quarter) must be at least 0.2 ppm OR If sample size is less than 40 no more than 1 sample is below 0.2 ppm
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Typical Sources: Water additive used to control microbes |
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Disinfectant |
Time Period |
Results |
Number of Samples |
Sample |
TT Vio- |
MRDL |
Name |
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Below Level |
Size |
lation |
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Chloramine |
November, |
Lowest period percentage of samples |
5 |
145 |
No |
4.0 |
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2020 |
meeting TT requirement: 96.55% |
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ppm |
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Lead and Copper Sampled in the Distribution System
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Contaminant |
Time Peri- |
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90th Per- |
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Sample |
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Unit of |
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90th Per- |
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Sample |
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90th Percen- |
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Typical Sources |
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centile |
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centile |
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Sites |
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tile AL Ex- |
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AL |
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Above |
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ceedance |
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AL |
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Copper |
08/13/2020 |
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0.15 |
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50 |
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ppm |
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1.3 |
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0 |
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No |
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Corrosion of house- |
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to |
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hold plumbing sys- |
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09/28/2020 |
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tems; Erosion of |
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natural deposits |
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Lead |
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08/13/2020 |
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2.4 |
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50 |
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ppb |
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15 |
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0 |
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No |
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Corrosion of house- |
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to |
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hold plumbing sys- |
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09/28/2020 |
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tems; Erosion of |
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natural deposits |
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Disinfection Byproducts Sampled in the Distribution System |
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Name |
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Year |
Average |
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Range |
Sam- |
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Unit of |
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MCL |
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MCLG |
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MCL Vio- |
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Typical Sources |
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Low – High |
ple |
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Measure |
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lation |
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Size |
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Total |
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2020 |
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9.32 |
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6.53 to 15.9 |
16 |
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ppb |
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60 |
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N/A |
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No |
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Byproduct of drinking |
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Haloace- |
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water disinfection |
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tic Acids |
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(HAA5) |
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Total |
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2020 |
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8.3 |
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4.26 to 16.1 |
16 |
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ppb |
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80 |
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N/A |
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No |
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Byproduct of drinking |
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Trihalo- |
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water disinfection |
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methanes |
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(TTHM) |
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Total Organic Carbon (Disinfection Byproducts Precursor) Removal Ratio of Raw and Finished Water |
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Contaminant |
Year |
Aver- |
Range |
Sample |
Unit of |
TT Minimum |
TT Viola- |
Typical Sources |
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age |
Low – High |
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Size |
Measure |
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Ratio |
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tion |
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Total Organic |
2020 |
1.25 |
1 to 1.4 |
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12 |
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Ratio |
1.00 |
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No |
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Carbon Ratio |
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in the environ- |
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|
ment |
|
*If minimum ratio not met and no violation identified then the system achieved compliance using alternative criteria.
Summary of Turbidity Sampled at the Entry Point to the Distribution System
Contaminant |
Sample |
Level Found |
TT Requirement |
TT Vio- |
Typical |
Name |
Date |
|
|
lation |
Sources |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Turbidity |
Date/Month: |
Highest single measurement: |
Maximum 1 NTU for any single |
No |
Soil Runoff |
|
Jul |
0.13 NTU |
measurement |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Turbidity |
Month: |
Lowest monthly percentage of |
In any month, at least 95% of sam- |
No |
Soil Runoff |
|
Dec |
samples meeting TT require- |
ples must be less than 0.3 NTU |
|
|
|
|
ment for our technology: 100 % |
|
|
|
Radionuclides Sampled at the Entry Point to the Distribution System
Contaminant |
Year |
Aver- |
Range |
Sample |
Unit of |
MCL |
MCLG |
MCL |
Typical Sources |
Name |
|
age |
Low – High |
Size |
Measure |
|
|
Violation |
|
Gross Alpha |
2020 |
2.95 |
2.7 to 3.2 |
2 |
pCi/L |
15 |
0 |
No |
Erosion of natu- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ral deposits |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Combined |
2020 |
1.26 |
0 to 2.52 |
2 |
pCi/L |
5 |
0 |
No |
Erosion of natu- |
Radium |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ral deposits |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Combined |
2020 |
2.19 |
1.7 to 2.69 |
2 |
ppb |
30 |
0 |
No |
Erosion of natu- |
Uranium |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ral deposits |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Inorganic Contaminants Sampled at the Entry Point to the Distribution System
Contaminant |
Year |
Average |
Range |
Sample |
Unit of |
MCL |
MCLG |
MCL |
Typical Sources |
Name |
|
|
Low – High |
Size |
Measure |
|
|
Violation |
|
Barium |
2020 |
0.05 |
0.05 to 0.05 |
1 |
ppm |
2 |
2 |
No |
Discharge of drill- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ing wastes; dis- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
charge from metal |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
refineries; erosion |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
of natural deposits |
Fluoride |
2020 |
0.72 |
0.72 to 0.72 |
1 |
ppm |
4 |
4 |
No |
Erosion of natural |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
deposits; water |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
additive which |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
promotes strong |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
teeth; discharge |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
from fertilizer and |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
aluminum facto- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ries |
Nitrate |
2020 |
0.11 |
0.11 to 0.11 |
1 |
ppm |
10 |
10 |
No |
Runoff from ferti- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
lizer use; leaching |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
from septic tanks, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
sewage; erosion of |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
natural deposits |
Selenium |
2020 |
3.99 |
3.99 to 3.99 |
1 |
ppb |
50 |
50 |
No |
Discharge from |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
petroleum and |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
metal refineries; |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
erosion of natural |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
deposits; dis- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
charge from mines |
Secondary Contaminants**
**Secondary standards are
|
|
ation) or aesthetic effects (such as taste, odor, or color) in drinking water. |
|
||||
Contaminant |
Year |
Average |
Range |
Sample |
Unit of Meas- |
|
Secondary Standard |
Name |
|
|
Low – High |
Size |
ure |
|
|
Sodium |
2020 |
14 |
14 to 14 |
1 |
ppm |
|
N/A |
Unregulated Contaminants***
EPA has implemented the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR) to collect data for contaminants that are suspected to be present in drinking water and do not have
Contaminant Name
Year
Average
Range
Low – High
Sample Size
Unit of Measure
***More information about the contaminants that were included in UCMR monitoring can be found at:
No Violations or Formal Enforcement Actions
Contaminants
Pueblo
EWG's drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group by the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, as well as information from the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database (ECHO). For the latest quarter assessed by the U.S. EPA (January 2019 - March 2019), tap water provided by this water utility was in compliance with federal health-based drinking water standards.
Utility details
- Serves: 109254
- Data available: 2012-2017
- Data Source: Surface water
- Total: 14
Contaminants That Exceed Guidelines
- Radium%2C combined (-226 & -228)
- Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)
- Uranium
Other Detected Contaminants
- Barium
- Chromium (hexavalent)
- Chromium (total)
- Fluoride
- Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
- Molybdenum
- Nitrate
- Nitrate and nitrite
- Selenium
- Strontium
- Vanadium
Reminder
Always take extra precautions, the water may be safe to drink when it leaves the sewage treatment plant but it may pick up pollutants during its way to your tap. We advise that you ask locals or hotel staff about the water quality. Also, note that different cities have different water mineral contents.
Sources and Resources
Sources Cited
Additional Resources
‘
The water from the Colorado River Basin flows out of Lake Creek, and it was used by Native Americans for thousands of years as a natural source of drinking water. Today, the Colorado River basin is an important source of drinking water for cities across the United States, but it still supplies drinking water to some of the most rural areas in the country.
So why are some communities that rely heavily on the Colorado River Basin getting contaminated? And can you find a reliable, clean water supply in your city, Pueblo, Colorado?
Because most cities today have run-off treatment plants, they rely on chlorine, which is a byproduct of chlorination. Chlorine is often added to the water supply of our largest metropolitan areas, including Pueblo, to make sure that the water is free of contaminants. Unfortunately, it can also cause problems with certain types of bacteria.
The problem is that this bacterium can cause a variety of health problems, a