In 2012, Denver Water exceeded the action level measuring the amount of allowable lead present in a customer’s kitchen tap prescribed as part of the federal Lead and Copper Rule. After years of public education and study, in 2018, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment mandated a specific treatment method that included an additive to the drinking water supply (orthophosphate) as the best method to prevent corrosion and thus reduce the risk of lead exposure in drinking water.

Denver Water and many other stakeholders came together to discuss alternatives to orthophosphate that would reduce the risk of exposure to lead while avoiding downstream impacts that would affect natural streams, rivers and wastewater treatment plants. These stakeholders proposed a more holistic approach to remove lead at its source; this approach became the Lead Reduction Program. 

In 2019, Denver Water became the first in the nation to receive approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and CDPHE to chart a new path with the Lead Reduction Program, one that permanently addresses lead exposure in drinking water by replacing all lead service lines in its distribution area within 15 years. 

The Lead Reduction Program launched in January 2020 and has five main components:

1. pH adjustment: This is the science component of the program. Denver Water increased the pH level of water delivered to customers to reduce corrosivity, which helps protect customers from lead and other materials getting into drinking water through lead service lines or household plumbing.

2. Inventory: This is the data component that drives our construction schedule. This element also includes developing and maintaining a publicly accessible inventory of all customer-owned lead service lines in Denver Water’s service area.

3. Lead service line replacement: This is the construction component of the program. Denver Water and its contractors are working year-round, replacing all lead service lines with copper lines at no direct charge to the customer.

4. Filter program: This is the proactive component of the program, providing customers with a free water pitcher, filter and replacement filters certified to remove lead, at all properties suspected of having lead services lines.

5. Communications, outreach and education: This is the people component of the program to generate trust and buy-in. Together with our community partners, we are working to increase awareness about the important work of the program.

We launched the program in 2020 during the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic and on the heels of highly publicized water contamination crises in other parts of the country. We needed to get customers to pay attention and take our program seriously while also avoiding unnecessary fear or panic.

Takeaways

1. Messaging around lead in drinking water is nuanced and requires thoughtful planning for clear understanding and calls to action for the public.
2. Key messages should include a statement about water safety and how lead can get into drinking water. Graphics and short videos aid explanations.
3. Be sure to share the benefits of removing lead service lines now and for the future (regardless of whether there is a public health crisis regarding lead).

For more, check out:

• Lead Reduction Program main page.
• Lead Reduction Program (Spanish) main page.
• Lead Reduction Program overview video.
• Our Resources page for program approval documents, annual reports and customer materials.