Consolidated Mutual is aware of potential security risks at U.S. water utilities and the possibility of future threats. We have completed and submitted a Federal vulnerability assessment, increased security at all company facilities and enhanced our sampling schedules. Consolidated Mutual’s highest priority is to maintain a quality water supply for our customers. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Source Water Assessment and Protection (SWAP) program has completed a source water assessment summary for all large Colorado public water supplies. This information is available on their web site at www.cdphe.state.co.us/wq/sw/swaphom.html, or by contacting Chris Jones, Water Treatment Manager, at (303)238-0451. Please see page 19 of this report for potential sources of contamination in our source water area.
For additional information on this report contact Denver Water at 303-628-5973, or attend the Annual Stockholders Meeting on May 14, 2009, 6:30 p.m. at 12700 West 27th Avenue. For information on contaminants and potential health effects, call the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1 (800) 426-4791.
SPECIAL INFORMATION AVAILABLE
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly persons and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their healthcare providers. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Centers for Disease Control guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1 (800) 426-4791.
In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.
Cryptosporidium and Giardia are microscopic organisms that, when ingested, can result in diarrhea, fever and other gastrointestinal symptoms. They are found in Colorado’s rivers and streams. These organisms are eliminated from drinking water by an effective treatment combination including filtration, sedimentation and disinfection. The Maple Grove and Denver treatment plants have monitored for these organisms for a number of years.
Disinfection By-Products
Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) are by-products of the disinfection
process. Regulations require that they be reported to the Colorado
Department of Health by running annual averages.
Source Water
As water travels over the land surface or
through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and
radioactive material and may be polluted by animals or human activity.
Contaminants that might be expected in untreated water include
biological contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria; inorganic
contaminants, such as salts and metals; pesticides and herbicides;
organic chemicals from industrial or petroleum use and radioactive
materials.
Potential sources of contamination in our source water area as defined by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) can come from these discrete sites; EPA Hazardous Waste Generators, EPA Toxic Release Inventory Site, aboveground, underground and leaking Storage Tank Sites and Existing/Abandoned Mine Sites. Contamination can also derive from these dispersed sources of land use and cover types; Commercial/ Industrial/ Transportation, High Intensity Residential, Urban Recreational Grasses, Row Crops, Fallow, Pasture/Hay, Deciduous Forest and other types such as Septic Systems and Road Miles. The Source Water Assessment Report provides a screening-level evaluation of potential contamination that could occur. It does not mean that the contamination has or will occur. We can use this information to evaluate the need to improve our current water treatment capabilities and prepare for possible future contamination threats which will help us ensure that quality finished water is delivered to your home. In addition, the source water assessment results provide a starting point for developing a source water protection plan.
Drinking water, including bottled water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the U. S. EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1(800) 426-4791.
Lead & Copper are sampled at “high risk” homes with lead service lines and pipes with lead solder taps in the home. The regulations state that 90 percent of the samples taken must be below the action levels of 0.15 parts per million for lead and 1.3 parts per million for copper. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.
Infants and young children are typically more vulnerable to lead in drinking water than the general population. It is possible that lead levels at your home may be higher than at other homes in the community as a result of materials used in your home's plumbing. If you are concerned about elevated lead levels in your home’s water, you may wish to have your water tested and flush your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using tap water. Additional information is available from the "Safe Drinking Water Hotline" (1(800) 426-4791).
El presente informe contiene información muy importante relacionada con el agua potable. Si quiere esta información en español, lame al 303-628-5986.