What Greeley is doing about Lead and Copper in the Drinking Water System

What is lead and copper?

Lead and copper are metals that have been standard plumbing materials used in drinking water systems for many years.  Many lead drinking water service lines were installed before the early 20^th century through 1980, because lead is flexible and easy to work with.  Household plumbing fixtures, welding solder, and pipe fittings made prior to 1986 may contain lead.  Modern copper pipes became common in homes in the 1930s to the present.  People did not realize until the early 20^th century that lead and copper could leach out of the pipes and into the drinking water.  The issue really became apparent with the public health crisis in Flint, Mich., from 2014-19, where high levels of lead in drinking water created health problems in the community.

What has Greeley done about lead service lines?

Since 1991 Greeley has pursued aggressive lead service line removal.  Since then, crews have removed 1,207 lead service lines in Greeley.  There is an ongoing identification process in place for removing the remaining lines.  Individual homes may still have lead lines running from the valve at the property line into houses or have lead piping/fixtures/solder inside their homes.  The responsibility of ascertaining the condition/content of piping and removal from the valve at the property line to the inside of the home, is the responsibility of the owner.  In addition to replacing lead service lines, Greeley continually adjusts the pH and alkalinity of the water to maintain appropriate corrosion control.  This minimizes the chance of metals leaching into the drinking water. 

What are the monitoring compliance requirements?

Customer Tap samples:  Greeley Water is required to collect tap samples that are analyzed for lead and copper from 50 consumer taps once a year during the period of June through December.  Greeley makes sure to test “Tier 1” taps.   Tier 1 sample sites must be single-family structures that contain copper pipes with lead solder installed after 1982; contain lead pipes; and or are supplied by a lead service line.    

Entry point samples: Greeley Water is required to monitor the points where water enters the distribution system from the water treatment plant every other week for pH and alkalinity.  pH and alkalinity results help water treatment plant operators understand the corrosivity of the water that is entering the distribution system. 

Distribution system samples: Greeley Water is required to collect 20 tap samples from 10 locations on two separate days every 6 months to be analyzed for pH and alkalinity. The results help water treatment plant operators understand if corrosivity has changed anywhere in the distribution system by comparing the results to the entry point samples. Adjustments can be made to the chemistry of the water at the plant to help maintain consistent pH and alkalinity in the distribution system.  

The results of all the sampling are reported to CDPHE and monitored by state regulators. 

What do I do if I have concerns?

Coordinate with Weld County, or a private laboratory of your choice, to have your water tested for lead and copper. 

Step 1. Get a 1-liter sample bottle from Weld County or a private lab of your choice. 

Step 2. After the water sits in your pipes all night long, collect a cold water tap sample from your kitchen sink in the 1-liter bottle. 

Step 3. Immediately take the sample bottle to the Weld County Lab or a private lab of your choice and have it analyzed for lead and copper. 

Each test costs around $21 from Weld County; the customer must verify private lab costs. In addition, Weld County has recently procured a grant to test water for lead and copper for free for daycare facilities. Please contact the Weld County Laboratory for more information about the Lead and Copper Grant program or other testing services at (970) 400-2276.