about our water

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WHERE  OUR WATER COMES FROM

The District  has worked hard to secure water supplies over the last 20 years, with focus on renewal supplies for long term supply stability.   Our primary water supplies are: 

• WISE Water (surface water):  We have joined up with neighboring communities as a member of the Water Infrastructure Supply Efficiency (WISE) Project. This is a partnership with Denver Water and Aurora Water to provide additional renewable water supply for Cottonwood and many of the neighboring communities in the South Metro Water Supply Authority.   Cottonwood Water started participation in the planning stages of the WISE project in 2012 and began receiving water from WISE in 2017.  Learn more about the WISE Project. 

• Joint Water Purification Plant or "JWPP" (surface water): The Cottonwood District joined with Arapahoe County Water and Wastewater Authority ("ACWWA") to construction the JWPP.  This facility uses Reverse osmosis, and micro-filtration methods to treat renewable water from the Cherry Creek alluvium.  Without treatment, the District's Cherry Creek water rights are limited to non-potable irrigation use.  This facility reduces the District's dependence on non-renewable deep well aquifers and provides high quality water for customers.  

• Arapahoe Aquifer Deep Wells:  The District owns and operates several deep wells that provide water from the regional Arapahoe Aquifer.  This water is considered a non-renewable water source as the aquifers are not replenished at rates comparable to water extracted.  These wells produce high quality water and for many years, these wells were the primary water source for Cottonwood.  As aquifer levels recede, it becomes more difficult to pump at rates adequate to meet the District needs and the pumping becomes more expensive. The District currently uses the wells to meet supplies when WISE water or JWPP sources are not available to meet daily demands.   

 GROUND WATER DEPLETION 

All water sources in Colorado are under stress.  Long term supply issues have been identified due to recent drought conditions and growth.   Great accomplishments have been made in the last 20 years to reduce per person water consumption through low flow fixtures/toilets and with conservation efforts by the public.   Deep wells supplying the District have stabilized over the last several years after some initial drops in the early 2000.    “About the Aquifer” is an older but information packed article about ground water in the Denver area.  The District has been a leader in southeast metro water districts on obtaining and developing renewable surface  water supplies. 

DISCOLORED WATER SOMETIMES

Discolored (red or tea colored) water is caused by naturally occurring minerals in well water that accumulate in system pipes over the years.  Households may experience discolored water during times of hydrant flushing, district water line maintenance or other system pressure disturbances.  In addition, slight changes of the pH levels in our water can trigger pipe scaling, hence mobilizing iron and manganese deposits which too results in discolored water – this condition occurs very seldom and tends to dissipate very fast. As an effort to minimize the movement of such deposits, between 2016 and 2017, the District spent nearly $0.5 M to remove Iron and Manganese sediments from the potable water distribution system through a process known as “Ice-Pigging”.  

If you are experiencing discolored water, avoid doing laundry since the water can stain linens - If staining does occur, avoid drying the clothing so the stain does not set in.   Re-wash when the water is clear with a product called Iron Out or Red B Gone, an iron stain removal powder found at most hardware stores.   Running COLD water can help speed up the return to clarity.  Put this water to good use by watering plants or grass through a garden hose if possible.  The discolored water poses no health risk to people or animals – during such events, water quality samples can be collected upon request and sent to the lab for a Bac-T testing. Bac-Ts are analyzed by a third-party laboratory contracted by the District – Lab results are shared with the customer(s) upon receipt by the District. As always, please contact us with any questions you may have regarding your drinking water!  

WATER QUALITY TESTING

Cottonwood Water complies with all State and Federal (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Act mandates and drinking water regulations.  The water is tested monthly for a standard set of potential contaminants.   More extensive annual testing is done and reported in the State required "Consumer Confidence Report," (CCR) that explains important aspects of our water such as where it comes from and the level of contaminants as compared to allowable measurements.  These reports  can be found on under the "Reports/Forms" link on the main menu. 

IS THERE FLUORIDE IN MY WATER?

The District does not add fluoride to the water.  Fluoride in our well water is naturally occurring.  The District strictly follows the Colorado Primary Drinking Water Regulations and tests for fluoride which has routinely been around 1.4 parts per million (ppm).  The maximum contaminant level allowed is 4 ppm.  The American Dental Association recommended leveel in water is 0.7 to 1.2 ppm.

IS THERE LEAD IN MY WATER?

A tiny trace amount (3 parts per billion) contained in District water is within acceptable, non-harmful levels and comes mainly from natural deposits, however the majority of the trace amounts in our water actually originate within the home itself.   

Homes that are either very old (pre-WWII with lead pipes) or some homes built up and until the mid 1980s may have lead-based solder (later banned) used in copper pipe joints,  Led solder was slowly phasing out into the 1980s until finally banned.  To reduce lead in your water that is coming from house hold plumbing

• Flush tap water for 30 seconds.  
• Use only water from the cold water tap for drinking, cooking, and for making baby formula.  Hot tap water dissolves lead faster and is likely to contain higher levels of lead if present. 
• When repairing or replacing plumbing, insist on lead free solder and lead free fixtures.  For more on the subject of health and safety involving lead go to www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead     

DO I NEED A WATER FILTER? 

Water provided by the District meets or exceeds all safe drinking water regulations.  So in terms of safety as set forth by EPA regulations, the answer is no.  However, given some of our supply is from wells, more dissolved minerals and sometimes trace amounts of sands are present.  This results in “hard” water that can be more corrosive on appliances and fixtures.  Hard water often requires the use of more soaps and detergents than soft water.   Water filters can range from one of the highest and most expensive purification systems (Reverse Osmosis or “RO” which eliminates nearly all foreign substances) to more simple membrane filters to water softeners.   All systems will have a positive impact on reducing hardness.  RO systems are usually placed on a single faucet, like the kitchen sink where drinking water is drawn, due to cost and greatly reduced water flow.  More basic fixture specific or whole house membrane systems can be fairly inexpensive to install and provide good sediment reduction.  Higher levels of filtration can be obtained with more expensive/sophisticated filter cartridges.  Water softeners or conditioners filter well, especially for hardness, but use a filter backwash process that typically uses salt and water (up to 50 gallons a cycle).   This backwash will have an impact on water usage and on your septic system if you are not on the municipal sewer system.   There is not a consensus about the impact of the salty brine that is discharged into septic system upon backwash.  The key concerns are the buildup of salts in the soil with subsequent impact on pine trees and the corrosiveness of the salt on the septic tank and leach field piping.