Water Quality/Monitoring

Spring Valley contracts with a professional water system operator to provide our water system management, required water testing, and regulatory compliance.  The following overview describes how multiple entities and technologies interact to promote system monitoring, management, and water quality for Spring Valley.

Continuous supervision and control: Daily operation of our water system is highly automated under SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) computer control which provides 24x7 real time continuous monitoring and control of water system operations, as well as immediate alarm notification to first responders for emergency situations.  Operational metrics are posted daily to our website to assist with system management, problem diagnosis, and emergency response.

Spring Valley Water Board: Our 7 water board members are all subdivision residents and receive daily email operation summaries and real-time emergency alarm notifications generated by the SCADA computer in both text message and email formats.  Most board members are experienced in recognizing operational abnormalities and patterns which may signal impending problems, and are authorized to initiate referral to our licensed system operator and a list of on-call utility repair contractors when required.

Licensed Operator - ORC Water / Treatment Technology:  Our licensed water system operator visits Spring Valley for weekly treatment plant monitoring, water quality testing, and regulatory compliance.  Additionally, our licensed operator provides on-call personnel 24x7 to receive and respond to water system text, email, and telephone alarms.  The contract services provided include the following operational, water testing, and compliance protocols: 

Periodic inspection, testing, and maintenance: Every Tuesday, licensed technicians visit the water treatment plant for weekly inspection and maintenance which typically includes monitoring of chemical supplies, calibration of injection pumps, and logging of totalizer and chlorine residual readings.  Bacteriological testing is performed monthly throughout the distribution system, and the water tank is inspected quarterly. Hydrant flushing and valve exercise is performed periodically as required.  Regulatory water sampling and testing includes, but is not limited to, the following types of tests: 

• • • • Source Testing - Raw Water:  Sampling directly downstream from the wells before chemical injection at the treatment plant

      • Finished Water:  Sampling at the treatment plant immediately after chemical injection but prior to pumping into the distribution network

      • Bac-T testing:  Bacteriological testing performed in the distribution system includes measurement of chlorine concentrations and potential for bacterial presence.  It is performed as part of the licensed operator's monthly site visit and required following water main repairs.

      • Household Lead and Copper:  In addition to the water tests described above, our licensed operator periodically distributes and collects tap water sample kits for EPA-mandated household lead and copper testing.  Unlike other types of testing, individual homeowners rather than licensed technicians collect the in-house water samples.  The frequency of EPA-mandated lead and copper testing has increased from once every 3 years to annually, and Spring Valley is currently testing every 6 months.

Our licensed operator records the results of any of its own field tests in Spring Valley’s official management log, and submits any collected water samples for detailed analysis by a State-approved laboratory, which communicates the analytical results to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). 

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE): CDPHE is the state agency which regulates public water systems like Spring Valley, according to rules and standards promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Colorado law. Because of the specialized nature and complexity of these regulations, Spring Valley relies on our liensed operator's full-time personnel for regulatory liaison and compliance.  As part of its annual review, CDPHE publishes the results of comprehensive contaminant testing of Spring Valley water in "Drinking Water Quality - Consumer Confidence Reports" (CCRs).  

CDPHE Water Chemistry Analysis: As documented by the compilation of recent annual Consumer Confidence Reports at the bottom of this web page, Spring Valley has an excellent historical water quality record. While CDPHE laboratory analysis of Spring Valley water chemistry has varied somewhat over time and between different households, measured hardness is relatively high (22-32) and most if not all homes use water softeners. Additional information about CDPHE water quality testing and interpretation of laboratory test results can be obtained from the CDPHE website. 

Special testing – Methane: Methane testing of Spring Valley water is not normally required, but was performed in 2008 in response to the abandonment of a natural gas well north of Cactus Court.  As detailed in the methane test report at the bottom of this web page, no dissolved methane was detectable. 

Special testing - PFAS: Special PFAS testing for Colorado water systems was arranged by CDPHE and completed in 2020. PFAS is the generic name for a set of ~18 fluoride-containing chemicals used in firefighting foam which have found to be carcinogens.  Spring Valley's test results revealed that some of these chemicals may be present at low but detectable levels ranging from 0.44-0.99ppt with total PFAS of 3.2ppt (ppt=parts per trillion), well below the EPA action level of 70ppt. The results for all tested Colorado water systems are available from the CDPHE PFAS web page. Scroll down to “SPRING VALLEY MUTUAL WA” to see our most recent results.

EPA Corrosion Control Requirement:  Federal regulations mandate that water suppliers test raw, finished, and household water for levels of dissolved lead and copper throughout the treatment and distribution system (all the way to the customer tap) for purposes of developing an optimal corrosion control treatment plan.  The rationale underlying this regulation is based on scientific research which finds that even in community water systems where no contaminants are present in the system’s source or finished water at the treatment plant, dissolved metal contamination can occur from direct contact with metal water mains in the distribution network and in-house plumbing at the customer household.  

Household Copper and Lead in Spring Valley:  To minimize the probability and extent of metal contamination in Spring Valley water, a corrosion control chemical is added in addition to chlorine used to prevent biological contaminants.  The corrosion control chemical creates a thin inert protective layer on the inside surface of pipes which prevents direct contact between the finished water and metal plumbing. 

According to association records, a total of 31 out of 36 Spring Valley homes have participated in household lead and copper testing since 1993 and occasionally a lead or copper exceedance result has occurred. While these exceedances may be due to improper sampling procedure, location, or non-NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) approved fixtures in the household plumbing, in all cases the results of re-testing were within normal limits. In 2019, an optimum corrosion control (OCC) engineering study was completed and submitted to CDPHE to ideally address corrosion control measures throughout the distribution system.  Recommendations in the OCC analysis were approved by CDPHE in June 2019, implemented, and operationally certified in October 2019 with a 12-month follow-up monitoring period required.

Recent Water Quality Reports

Regulatory oversight and annual review is conducted by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). As part of their annual review, CDPHE conducts comprehensive chemical testing of Spring Valley water, documenting the test results in "Drinking Water Quality Reports". The most recent CDPHE Drinking Water Quality Report and other historical water quality documents are accessible by clicking on the following links: