Bioenvironmental Engineering reports water quality Published June 2, 2008 21st Medical Group Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight PETERSON AFB, Colo. -- Base employees can get the facts about the water they drink from the recently released Colorado Springs Utilities 2008 Water Quality Report for the reporting period of Jan. 1, 2007 to Dec. 31, 2007. This report is designed to inform the public about the quality of water and services CSU delivers to the city's population, including Peterson Air Force Base. According to CSU, the drinking water continually meets or surpasses state and federal standards for drinking water. Colorado Springs Utilities, as well as the 21st Medical Group's Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight, test the water consumed throughout the base. CSU tests water at its sources and in the city distribution system. Bioenvironmental Engineering tests water at 19 different sampling locations every month for microbiological contamination that could occur in the Peterson section of the distribution system. The sample sites include both child development centers, the R.P. Lee Youth Center, Aragon Dining Facility, and several Peterson East facilities. All microbiological samples collected in 2007 were analyzed by the El Paso County Health Department laboratory and reported negative for the presence of bacteria. In May 2007 Bioenvironmental Engineering performed annual lead and copper sampling at both child development centers and the youth center to ensure the water met all state and federal standards. All lead and copper sample results reported well below the Environmental Protection Agency's action level of 15 parts per billion and 1.3 milligrams per liter, respectively. Nearly 75 percent of the water provided by CSU originates from mountain streams (surface water). Water from these streams is collected and stored in various reservoirs along the Continental Divide. The collection systems in this area consist of the Homestake, Fryingpan-Arkansas, Twin Lakes, and Blue River systems. The majority of this water is transferred to Colorado Springs through pipelines that protect the water from contaminants, such as herbicides, pesticides, heavy metals and other chemicals. Water delivered to Colorado Springs is stored at Rampart Reservoir and at the Catamount reservoirs on Pikes Peak, which then supply the CSU water treatment plants. Local surface water sources are from the north and south slopes of Pikes Peak, North and South Cheyenne Creeks, Fountain Creek, Monument Creek/Pikeview Reservoir, and the Northfield Watershed. Local ground water sources consist of four wells, 900 to 1,000 feet deep, pumped from the Arapahoe aquifer; one well, 700 feet deep, pumped from the Arapahoe aquifer; one well, 700 feet deep, pumped from the Denver aquifer; and one well, 1,700 feet deep, pumped from the Laramie-Fox Hills aquifer. All water is treated at the Colorado Springs water treatment plants using widely accepted, standard technology. Throughout the process of collection, treatment and distribution, certified water treatment plant operators and laboratory staff monitor the water quality for its chemical and biological content. Some of these analyses are required to meet state and federal standards. Others are part of ongoing testing to assure a continual supply of high quality drinking water. As water travels over the surface of the land and through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. For more information about the contaminants, potential health effects, and drinking water programs authorized under the Safe Drinking Water Act call the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or visit www.epa.gov/safewater. Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general public. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA and Center for Disease Control guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and microbiological contaminants are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline. Colorado Springs Utilities is not required to mail the 2008 Water Quality Report to base occupants. To view the complete 2008 Water Quality Report, visit www.csu.org, and click on the 2008 Water Quality Report. Customers without web access can obtain a hard copy of the report at the Bioenvironmental Engineering office located in building 1246 at 625 Ent Avenue. The report will also be posted in all base dormitory facilities. Bioenvironmental Engineering no longer conducts drinking water surveillance in base housing. On November 16, 2007, representatives from the Colorado Water Quality Control Division, Colorado Springs Utilities, U.S. Air Force Portfolio Management, and - Actus Lend Lease LLC, dba Tierra Vista Communities LLC, met to discuss the primary drinking water regulations as they pertain to any agreement between CSU and TVC. At the meeting it was established that the newly formed TVC had purchased the privatized housing and associated utility infrastructure, in partnership with the U.S. Air Force Portfolio Management, from Peterson Air Force Base. TVC is classified as a public water system, consecutive to Colorado Springs Utilities. The Division advised TVC to pursue avenues to ensure the quality of the water is maintained throughout the distribution system. For questions concerning water quality issues in the Tierra Vista Community distribution system, please call the TVC facility maintenance department at 597-5950. For more information about Peterson Air Force Base water quality, call Mr. Michael Puleo or Master Sgt. Terrance Callaghan at 556-7721. (Water quality information courtesy of Colorado Springs Utilities and 21st Space Wing Bioenvironmental Engineering) View the complete 2008 Water Quality Report here.