Is There Lead in Your Denver Tap Water?

In the U.S., 14-20% of lead exposure is attributed to drinking water. Municipalities have taken action over the past 30 years to ban lead solder, reduce corrosivity and remove lead from brass faucets and water meters, and these measures have significantly helped exposure issues.

In the Denver area, testing has shown lead levels around 2.5 parts per billion (ppb) at the 90th percentile, though actual levels can vary significantly depending on a home’s plumbing system and pipe materials.

Studies are show that lead at even its most minute levels can cause neurological, learning and IQ defects in children, and that these lower levels but widespread exposures can have large health effects.

Because lead typically enters water through older pipes, solder, or fixtures, two homes on the same street can have very different results at the tap.

Lead lends itself very easily to building pipes – like those used for transporting water. It’s malleable, relatively cheap to use and, as a result, its use in plumbing dates back to early Roman cities. Lead piping was also the standard in the United States until the 1920s and 30s, when concerns about lead poisoning became better understood.

The most common way lead can enter a drinking water system is through corrosive aging pipes and plumbing infrastructure. Many homes, and sometimes entire communities, have plumbing infrastructure that has not been updated for decades, and sometimes more than a century.

In Denver, this is most often tied to older homes or plumbing components, rather than the water source itself. These homes are at high risk for lead contamination, even if the water coming through it has been properly treated.

When pipes, fitting or solder have become corroded, water can become contaminated.

The best way to avoid a lead problem is to never have one. Despite the ongoing issues in many cities throughout America, many homeowners are simply not keen in getting a simple water test.

Because lead exposure risk is tied to individual plumbing, testing at the home is one of the most reliable ways to understand your specific water quality.

A test can determine whether your household has tap water, and whether this exposure can be avoided in the interim by flushing it for a specified amount of time. Knowing this can be the difference between your family becoming exposed to lead in tap water.

In addition to its once widespread use, and continued use in some plumbing fittings and solder, lead is virtually undetectable in water. Since you can’t see, taste, or smell it, prolonged exposure can be common. Lead in drinking water is especially harmful for young children and pregnant women, but is not safe for anyone to consume, in any concentration. Since lead is not visible, tasteless, and odorless, many homeowners are unaware of exposure without testing.

For children, the effects of consuming lead-contaminated water are especially high. Once consumed, lead remains in our bodies or ‘bioaccumulates’, as we can’t flush the contaminant from our system. Once there, lead can cause serious behavioral and cognitive problems for children, and over time it can lead to:

Lead also crosses the placenta, so it’s especially important for pregnant women to avoid drinking water contaminated with lead. In addition to harming the mother, it can cause stunted fetal growth and premature birth.

For the average adult, lead exposure from water can cause heart and cardiovascular issues, reduce kidney function, and contribute to reproductive problems.

The degree and severity of these issues depends on how much lead you’ve been exposed to, and how much is stored in your body, though governing health authorities like the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) caution that no amount of lead is safe.

Lead is not typically present in treated source water, but it can enter drinking water as it moves through plumbing systems.

In Denver homes, the risk of lead exposure is most often tied to:

Because of this, testing at the tap is the most effective way to understand your home’s specific risk.

Lead exposure in drinking water is not typically tied to the source—it’s most often linked to plumbing materials inside the home. In Denver, testing has shown levels around 2.5 ppb at the 90th percentile, but actual exposure can vary depending on pipe age, fixtures, and corrosion inside plumbing systems.

Because of this variability, many homeowners choose to take a more proactive approach to understanding and improving their water quality.

Certain water treatment systems are designed to reduce lead at the point where water is used most.

Common solutions include:

These solutions can help provide more consistent water quality throughout the home, especially in areas where plumbing may contribute to trace metal exposure.

Because lead exposure can vary from one home to another, testing is one of the most important first steps.

A professional water test can help determine:

The Flint Water Crisis began in 2014 when a change in water source and improper treatment caused lead to leach from aging pipes into the drinking water supply.

While the immediate crisis has since been addressed and water quality has improved significantly, the situation remains one of the most well-known examples of how changes in water chemistry and infrastructure can impact drinking water safety.

Today, Flint is often referenced as a case study in the importance of corrosion control, infrastructure maintenance, and ongoing water quality monitoring.

The final tally on the Flint Water Crisis, which included e.coli bacteria, THMs, lead, and a Legionnaire’s disease outbreak, resulted in 6,000 to 12,000 children exposed to lead and a slew of lawsuits, investigations, resignations and criminal indictments.