DENVER – About two dozen Colorado water systems have reported lead levels that exceed federal guidelines, but officials say the lead usually comes from pipes in older buildings and isn’t in the water supply itself.
Twenty-two or 23 water systems in the state reported lead levels that require them to take further steps, said Ron Falco, manager of the state Safe Drinking Water Program.
Lead problems have been detected in Colorado water systems serving a combined population of about 45,000, according to federal data, although a handful of systems serving about 9,000 people said the levels listed for their operations in the EPA data was incorrect.
Lead problems are less extensive in Colorado than in other areas because many of the state’s homes are new – built to house its booming population – and don’t use lead in their pipes, Falco said.
A few small Colorado schools with their own water systems reported lead levels above 15 parts per billion.
The Valley School District in northeastern Colorado has filtered water delivered to the Caliche School in Iliff. The building, which houses elementary and high schools, reported lead levels from 16 to 20 parts per billion in 2014 and 2015, according to the EPA.
The school district expects to start construction this summer on a new water treatment system for the school, said Superintendent Jan DeLay.
