We’re proud to report that Denver Water’s groundbreaking Lead Reduction Program, launched in January 2020, has so far replaced more than 21,000 old, customer-owned lead service lines with new, lead-free copper lines. All at no direct cost to the customer.
This is a huge accomplishment for everyone involved, especially our customers enrolled in the program who have allowed us into homes to replace lines and who continue to filter water for drinking, cooking and preparing infant formula until six months after we replace the line.
We are grateful for the federal funding that is helping accelerate our replacement work in 2023 and 2024. And we are proud to be among the national leaders recently invited to the launch of a federal initiative supporting communities doing this work.
And we’re not done. The water we deliver to customers is lead-free, but lead can get into the water as it passes through old lead service lines, the primary source of lead in drinking water, and internal plumbing. We are committed to replacing the estimated 64,000 to 84,000 lead service lines in our service area.
Our teams continue to conduct thousands of investigations a year to pinpoint where lead service lines are located — and where they are not. And we’re continuing to provide water filters designed to remove lead to those who may have a lead line. This is in addition to constantly monitoring the water to ensure it carries an 8.8 pH level, which helps protect customers with lead plumbing from lead entering their water. Working together, we’ll get the lead out!
Check out our interactive timeline showing the progress of lead service line replacements.