In summer 2019, Denver Water launched an education and outreach program to share information and seek feedback about a proposed Lead Reduction Program Plan.
Two online public comment periods, held in July through October, received 572 responses.
Letters of support for the plan also were received from a wide range of health and water agencies, elected officials and environmental advocacy groups, including Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, metro area water and sanitation districts, Conservation Colorado, Tri-County Health Department and Denver’s Department of Public Health & Environment.
Denver Water submitted its proposed plan to the Environmental Protection Agency on Sept. 6. Public input from the comment periods and letters of support also were presented to the EPA and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to inform the decision-making process.
Key takeaways from the survey responses include:
- 97% of the 572 respondents supported the plan.
- 51% selected “Protects future generations” as the greatest benefit of the plan.
- 40% selected “Protects environmental health” as the greatest benefit of the plan.
- 84% said they wanted to receive updates about the program.
The water delivered to homes and businesses in Denver is lead-free, but lead can get into water as it moves through lead-containing internal plumbing and service lines that are owned by the customer and are not part of Denver Water’s system.
By March 2020, Denver Water is required to add orthophosphate to the drinking water it provides customers to help reduce the corrosivity of the water, which minimizes the risk of lead getting into household water from these sources.
The Lead Reduction Program Plan describes a proposed alternative to adding orthophosphate to the water system. Denver Water believes this holistic path would further reduce the potential for lead exposure in homes with lead service lines and lead plumbing.
Thank you to all who provided feedback on the draft proposed Lead Reduction Program Plan earlier this summer. Responses provided insight into preferences on Lead Reduction Program components and benefits and were incorporated into the final proposal. A summary of feedback is below.
Other plan documents are below:
The full proposal submitted to the EPA on Sept. 6 is available below.
Complete Plan and Appendices
- Lead Reduction Program Plan
- Appendix I.A — Public Comment Form Responses
- Appendix I.B — Letters of Support
- Appendix II.A — Comparing Impacts of Optimal Corrosion Control Treatment and Variance Implementation
- Appendix II.B — Lead Pilot Results
- Appendix II.C — Review of Lead Concentration Outliers
- Appendix III.A — Overall Communications, Outreach and Education Plan
- Appendix III.B.1 — Integrated and Consecutive Systems
- Appendix III.B.2 — Preliminary Identification of Lead Service Lines
- Appendix III.B.3 — Predictive Model and Prioritization
- Appendix III.C.1 — Filter Adoption
- Appendix III.C.2 — Filter Pilot
- Appendix III.C.3 — Filter Program Plan
- Appendix III.D.1 — Accelerated Lead Service Line Replacement Plan
- Appendix III.E.1 — Lead Sequential Sampling Study
- Appendix III.E.2 — Lead from Solder
- Appendix III.E.3 — Nitrification Potential of Orthophosphate Addition and Increased pH
- Appendix IV.A — Proposed Terms and Conditions
- Appendix VII.A — Lead Reduction Program Cost Estimates