The city of Cortez, after conducting a survey of its water service lines, has reported that no lead service lines were found, but about 300 residences have unknown materials or a galvanized line that needs to be replaced.
The initial inventory has been submitted to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
An email written by Water Plant Superintendent Randy Hunt and shared with The Journal by public information officer Kelly Codner said that the information has been compiled from the customer survey, historical water records and field investigations.
These sites will be investigated proactively “to determine if there was ever a lead line present,” the email said. If lead is identified, the city will work with the residents to have the line replaced.
The city started the “Let’s Get the Lead Out” initiative with a survey sent out to residents in January. The survey asked residents to look at their water service line and identify the material it was made from, including a guide on how to identify it.
The materials of these lines can include copper, plastic, lead or galvanized iron or steel. Lead may be found in older homes or buildings. Water may absorb lead from the pipes on the way into homes and buildings, though it leaves the treatment plant lead-free.
To comply with the state and federal regulations, the city will create a plan to remove any lead service lines. Once the plan is completed, it will also be submitted to the CDPHE.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s website, the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions require that water providers must comply by Oct. 16. Compliance involves an initial inventory, notification of parties served by lead pipes, and other reporting requirements.
Monitoring of lead and copper levels will continue at specified sampling locations. The results can be found on the city’s website under the “About Our Water” tab in the Current Annual Water Quality Report.
The water quality report shows detections from 2023, but some levels reported are from earlier. The state of Colorado requires testing less than once a 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.”
Copper levels were tested between Aug. 17 and Aug. 26, 2021, and showed in the 90th percentile with 0.13 ppm in a sample size of 21 ppm. This is caused by corrosion of plumbing systems and erosion of natural deposits, according to the report.
Lead levels were tested in the same time period, and showed 3.4 ppb in the same sample size. This is also caused by corrosion of plumbing and erosion of natural deposits.
The identification guide on the survey allowed residents to accurately identify what material their pipes are made of. Magnets won’t stick to lead or copper, but will stick to galvanized steel. Lead pipes will appear shiny silver and flake off when scratched with a coin, while copper will appear copper in color, like a penny. Galvanized steel will appear dull and gray in color when scraped.
Residents can visit the city’s website at www.cortezco.gov to learn more about the initiative. To learn more about state regulations regarding drinking water, visit https://cdphe.colorado.gov/lead-in-drinking-water.
