Colorado is a place known for its beautiful geographic landscape, including the Southern Rocky Mountains, Northeastern Plateau and Great Plains. It’s also a state, like in much of the US, that lacks quality drinking water in many regions. While in some parts of the state, residents have access to clean, good-tasting water, in other parts, when Coloradans turn on their faucet, water containing invisible, toxic impurities is what comes out.
In an area south of Colorado Springs, nearly 80,000 residents have been exposed to Perfluorinated Chemicals (PFCs). These contaminants exist in the region’s water supply as a remnant of the fight to contain petroleum-based fires. At the time nobody knew how dangerously toxic these chemicals are, but now we’re all paying the price. When PFCs are in the drinking water supply, they’re nothing but bad news. PFCs remain in the body and in the environment, forever. They don’t break down; infact, they build up in our bodies and cause disease and different types of cancer.
In certain parts of the state, near the Fountain Creek watershed, EPA officials warn pregnant women and children not to drink locally-sourced water. Why? Because these areas contain toxic impurities 20-times higher than the legal limit. As a result, many families have been forced to switch to bottled water, but that presents a whole new set of issues. First of all, it’s expensive. Also, plastic water bottles have known negative impacts on the environment, and often wind up in landfills or in our oceans. And, plastic water bottles have a negative impact on our health. They expose users to harmful toxins, like Bisphenol A (BPA) that make their way into the bloodstream and cause cancer, as well as liver and kidney damage.
But that’s not all, the EWG put out a report citing the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment. It found that the state’s water supply surpassed health guidelines for the following contaminants: trihalomethanes (TTHMs); haloacetic acids (HAA5), radium; chromium; bromodichloromethane; and chloroform. There were also several contaminants found to be above the legal limit. They include nitrate, uranium, and arsenic.
For Coloradans, investing in a quality water filtration device will give your family access to clean, quality drinking water, taking the power back into your own hands. We simply can’t rely on plastic water bottles to solve the problem - because plastic water bottles can be expensive, they also negatively impact our environment and our bodies. Further down we’ll talk more about water filtration and how a water filtration system can provide your family with cleaner, healthier water, but first, let’s talk about how Colorado’s water supply became so bad in the first place.
How did this happen?
There are a few different factors that combine to create the perfect storm that makes a state’s water quality substandard.
- Deteriorating infrastructure - The first reason deals with the infrastructure of the municipality supplying the water. In a perfect situation, public water pipes would remain in tip-top condition but in the real world, they don’t. Here’s a common example seen in deteriorating pipes: If a water pipe becomes old and starts to leak it can create a vacuum-like situation pulling untreated water in with treated water. When you turn on your faucet, your water would be both treated and untreated.
- Deteriorating infrastructure (part 2) - Another problem with old pipes is that they can seep copper, lead and additional heavy metal impurities - inviting a dangerous and unhealthy cocktail of contaminants into your drinking cup.
- Hazardous runoff - Hazardous tap water is also caused by runoff from farms and manufacturing plants, like car-making plants and coal mining plants. Runoff seeps into our water bodies and then gets into our water supply.
- Adding chlorine - Municipalities often add chlorine to the water supply in order to improve the taste or smell of the water; but it’s not safe.
How can I find out if my home has bad tap water in Colorado?
Ask your provider.
The first thing you should do is call or email your local water provider and ask them to give you a copy of the most up-to-date water quality report they have. This report will detail the exact tests done to the water in your area with the dates the tests were performed and the results of the tests. The test results will give you insight into what contaminants may have been detected in your water. After that you can decide to have further testing done or you could move forward satisfied with what the report says - either way now you have information about the likely contaminants in your water.
Send samples for testing.
The most thorough testing will occur when you send out a sample of your tap water - this will also give you the most accurate results. You should always send your sample to a certified water-testing lab because they hire experts who will know what to look for. As an example: some chemical contaminants are hard-to-detect and can be overlooked by novice testers. Professional water labs will check for bacteria, chlorine, lead and pesticides as well as any specific contaminants you request.
Test your water at home.
You can also do it yourself and if that’s something you enjoy, there are water testing kits that can be purchased to make that happen. Professional lab testing is the most accurate and thorough way to test water - but with that said, at-home water testing kits can provide you with crucial information on your drinking water.
You can buy a kit online or in your local hardware store. The test strip kit will give you instructions on how to perform a test at home. Here’s an important tip: when testing your water at home, yourself, do it twice. Testing your water two times will ensure that your results are accurate. If you find that impurities are present, consider investing in a good water filtration device. A good water filtration system will help you to eliminate many contaminants and bring your drinking water to its most healthy and pure state. Finding a good, reliable water filtration system may be a daunting task - so let’s talk about the best system available to you.
Invest in The Water Machine.
The Water Machine is the world's first all-glass, gravity-fed countertop water filter. It's design is both functional and stylish, making The Water Machine an eye-pleasing focal point in your kitchen - or wherever you decide to put it. The Water Machine features a sleek hammered-glass design and can filter up to 6,000 gallons of water over a 10-year span (if you consume a gallon-and-a-half of water a day). Water filtered through The Water Machine is crisp and clean without a metallic or plastic aftertaste; it is some of the most delicious and refreshing water you'll ever enjoy. Plus our all-glass design helps reduce plastic waste in the environment. In fact, The Water Machine is committed to environmental causes, with a portion of all of our sales going toward clean water organizations including Water.org, who has given 36-million people worldwide access to clean, uncontaminated water; and Charitywater.org, whose goal is to bring clean drinking water to everyone on the planet. Please visit their websites to see more of the amazing work these organizations do.
The Water Machine eliminates the following contaminants: Bacteria like E. coli, Chlorine, Viruses, Chloramines, Parasites, Fluoride, Heavy Metals, Trihalomethane (THMs), Pharmaceuticals, Petroleum Contaminants, Bisphenol-A (BPA), Radiologicals, Perfluorochemicals (PFOAS), and Herbicides & Pesticides.
