HomeMy WebLinkAboutReport - Mail Packet - 8/21/2018 - Memorandum From Mark Kempton And Carol Webb Re: 2017 Drinking Water Consumer Confidence Report And The 2017 Drinking Water Quality Policy Annual ReportUtilities
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700 Wood Street
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.221.6700
970.221.6619 – fax
970.224.6003 – TDD
utilities@fcgov.com
fcgov.com/utilities
M E M O R A N D U M
DATE: 08/13/2018
TO: Mayor Troxell and Councilmembers
FROM: Mark Kempton P.E., Director, Plant Operations
Carol Webb, Deputy Director, Utilities
THRU: Darin Atteberry, City Manager
Jeff Mihelich, Deputy City Manager
Kevin R. Gertig, Utilities Executive Director
RE: 2017 Drinking Water Consumer Confidence Report, and the
2017 Drinking Water Quality Policy Annual Report
Federal and state regulations require drinking water providers to deliver an annual Drinking
Water Quality Report to their customers. The City’s Drinking Water Quality Policy also
requires Utilities to provide a separate report of the actions taken in support of the Policy. We
are pleased to submit both of these drinking water reports for the 2017 data year to the Mayor,
City Council, Water Board and the City Manager. Please contact me if you need additional
information or have comments or questions.
Approved by:
Darin Atteberry, City Manager Date
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8/14/2018
2017 REPORT
DRINKING WATER QUALITY
Para más información de este informe de su cualidad
de agua potable en español, llame Fort Collins Utiliites
a 970-212-2900, V/TDD: 711 o mande preguntas en
español a utilities@fcgov.com.
Continuing Our Commitment
Check out this report to learn where your drinking
water comes from and how it compares to federal
standards. Fort Collins Utilities remains committed
to delivering high-quality drinking water and
meeting the challenges of source water protection,
water conservation and community education.
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The City of Fort Collins’ drinking water supply
comes from two sources: the upper Cache la
Poudre River (Poudre River) and Horsetooth
Reservoir. Beginning as rain and snow in the
mountains, Poudre River water originates on the
eastern slope of the Continental Divide, northwest
of Fort Collins. Horsetooth water is delivered from
the Colorado River Basin on the western slope via
the Colorado-Big Thompson Water Project.
Utilities collaborates with other local drinking
water providers and other water stakeholders
to monitor water quality trends in the Poudre
River, Big Thompson River and Horsetooth
Reservoir. Monitoring includes more than 25
different chemical, physical and microbiological
contaminants at 35 locations throughout our
source watersheds. As in previous years, 2017
water quality data indicated that the City’s source
watersheds continue to provide high-quality water.
Since 2013, Utilities has worked collaboratively
with the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed
(CPRW) and other stakeholders to improve the
health and resiliency of the Poudre River. In 2016,
CPRW completed the Poudre River Watershed
Resiliency Plan; the plan is used by Utilities to
prioritize watershed protection projects in the
watershed. The City of Fort Collins’ Source Water
Protection Plan (SWPP) was also completed in
2016. The SWPP summarizes potential major
sources of pollution to both the Poudre River and
Horsetooth Reservoir and identifies key protection
or mitigation strategies. The highest priority threats
to our source water quality were identified as past
and future wildfires and historical mining.
Utilities continues to allocate funding for
collaborative wildfire restoration and mitigation
projects to protect its source watersheds. To date,
restoration efforts have largely focused on projects
within the High Park Fire burn area to control soil
erosion. In addition, several forest thinning projects
have been successfully completed outside of the
burn area to reduce fuels loads and mitigate the
future risk of large, high severity wildfires that
could impact our source water. The 2017 Elkhorn
Creek Forest Health Initiative is a great example of
a collaborative project that successfully reduced
fuels in a priority area of the Poudre River. The
project was completed using funding, labor and
equipment from more than a dozen partners,
including Fort Collins Utilities. Wildfire risk was
significantly reduced with treatments that included:
hand thinning, piling and burning; mechanical
treatment; and prescribed fire. The successes
of this project provide a project implementation
template that will be used at a larger scale on
several projects in 2018.
An abandoned mine inventory and assessment
(SWPP, Appendix H) was completed in September
of 2016 to determine whether heavy metals from
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The Water Treatment Facility is committed to
protecting the environment by identifying and
reducing its environmental impacts in order
to increase its operating efficiency. To help
achieve this goal, the facility has established
a formal Environment Management System
(EMS) that has been certified to conform to the
International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) 14001:2015 standard. The goals of
an EMS are to prevent pollution, comply
with legal requirements, and continually
improve environmental performance. The key
environmental objectives set by the facility
include reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
by reducing energy and fuel consumption;
sustainably managing the facility’s landscape to
minimize risks to public safety, private property,
and the environment; and managing our solid
waste streams so that material is disposed of
in the most environmentally friendly manner
feasible. The ISO 14001 was revised in 2015 and
the facility EMS team successfully transitioned
the certification to the new standard this
year, nearly a year ahead of the deadline.
The facility is participating in the Colorado
Industrial Energy Challenge (CIEC), which is
sponsored by the Colorado Governor’s Energy
Office and the U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE). The CIEC is a voluntary program that
supports industrial facilities to overcome
barriers in achieving energy efficiency goals.
In addition, the facility participates in
the Colorado Environmental Leadership
Program (ELP), an environmental recognition
and reward program administered by the
Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment Division of Environmental
Health and Sustainability. As a result of
its continuing environmental stewardship
and the successful ISO certification of the
EMS, the facility was recognized as an ELP
Gold Leader in 2014, 2015, and 2016.
Lastly, an international program that both
the water treatment facility and the water
distribution system participate in is the
Partnership for Safe Water. The Partnership is
an alliance of six drinking water organizations
including the EPA. In 2017, the water
treatment facility and the distribution
system each earned Partnership awards.
The facility earned the Partnership’s
President’s Award which is part of phase IV
of the Partnership, the highest phase in the
program. This honor is only awarded to top-
tier water facilities that have demonstrated
the commitment to operating their facilities in
an optimized manner throughout the process
and providing superior quality water to their
customers, beyond the requirements of the EPA
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Total Organic Carbon, Raw and Finished Water
Parameter Average Range* Number of Samples Unit of Measure Minimum Ratio Meet Standard? Typical Sources
Total Organic Carbon Ratio, Utilities 1.31 0.82 to 1.57 12 Ratio 1.00 Yes
Naturally present in the environment
Total Organic Carbon Ratio, SCFP 1.23 0.98 to 1.43 12 Ratio 1.00 Yes
*If minimum not met and no violation is identified then the system achieved compliance using alternative criteria.
Samples from the Combined Filter Effluent (from within the Treatment Plant)
Parameter Month Level Found Standard Meet Standard? Typical Sources
Turbidity, Utilities Dec. Highest single measurement: 2.5 NTU Maximum is 1 NTU for any single
measurement
No, for more information,
please see p. 5.
Turbidity, SCFP Nov. Highest single measurement: 0.042 Yes Soil Runoff
Turbidity, Utilities Feb. Lowest monthly percentage of samples meeting standard: 99% In any month, at least 95% of samples
must be less than 0.3 NTU
Yes
Turbidity, SCFP All 12 months Lowest monthly percentage of samples meeting standard: 100% Yes
Turbidity is a measure of the clarity of the water and is a good indicator of the effectiveness of the filtration system.
Sampled at the Entry Point to the Distribution System
Parameter Result Number of Samples Unit of Measure MCL MCLG Meet Standard? Typical Sources
Barium, Utilities 0.02 1 ppm
2 2
Yes
Discharge of drilling wastes; discharge from metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits
Barium, SCFP 0.017 1 ppm Yes
Fluoride, Utilities 0.65 1 ppm
4 4
Yes
Erosion of natural deposits; water additive which promotes strong teeth
Fluoride, SCFP 0.74 1 pm Yes
Parameter Number of Samples Not Meeting the Standard Number of Samples Standard Meet Standard? Typical Sources
Chlorine Residual 0 2190 No more than 4 hours with a sample below 0.2 ppm Yes
Water additive used to control
Chlorine Dioxide, Utilities 0 365 microbes
800 ppb
Yes
Chlorine Dioxide, SCFP 0 365 Yes
Sampled in the Distribution System
Parameter Month Standard
Lowest monthly
percentage
Number of Samples
Below 0.2 ppm Number of Samples Meet Standard? Typical Sources
Chlorine Residual June At least 95% of samples per month must have
a chlorine residual of at least 0.2 ppm 99.02% 1 102 Yes
Water additive used to control
microbes
Parameter Month Standard Meet Standard? Typical Sources
Chlorine Residual All 12 months All samples must be less than or equal to 4.0 ppm Yes Water additive used to control microbes
Parameter Monitoring Period
90th
Percentile
Number of
Samples
Unit of
Measure
Action
Level
Number of Sample Sites Above
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Treating Source Water
Drinking water, including bottled water, may
reasonably be expected to contain at least
small amounts of some contaminants. The
presence of these contaminants does not
necessarily indicate that the water poses a
health risk.
As water travels over the land’s surface or
through the ground, it dissolves naturally
occurring minerals and can pick up substances
resulting from the presence of animals and
humans. To ensure tap water is safe to drink,
the CDPHE regulates the amount of certain
contaminants in water from public water
systems. Source water may contain:
• Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and
bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment
plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock
operations and wildlife.
• Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals,
which may be naturally occurring or result from
urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic
wastewater discharges, oil and gas production,
mining or farming.
• Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from
a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban
stormwater runoff and residential uses.
• Organic chemical contaminants, including
synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are
byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum
production. These contaminants also may come
from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff and
septic systems.
• Radioactive contaminants, which may be naturally
occurring or the result of oil and gas production
and mining activities.
For more information about contaminants and
potential health risks, call the Safe Drinking
Water Hotline at 800-426-4791 or visit
epa.gov/safewater.
Cryptosporidium
and Giardia
Cryptosporidium and Giardia come
from animal and human waste in
the watershed and are common
in untreated surface water. When
ingested, the organisms may cause
fever, nausea and diarrhea. They
are removed by a well-maintained
water treatment process.
In 2017, Fort Collins Utilities tested
the untreated source water for
the organisms. Giardia was found
in the Poudre River samples.
Neither organism was found in the
Horsetooth Reservoir samples.
We want you to know:
From Feb 1 through May 30, 2017 the City of
Fort Collins tested for total chlorine instead
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Fluoridation
As directed by City Council and our customers,
Utilities adds fluoride to the water, resulting in
levels that range from 0.60 to 0.75 milligrams
of fluoride per liter of treated water.
If you or members of your household are sensitive
to fluoride or fluoridation-related substances
or if you provide our water to an infant younger
than six months of age, please consult your
physician or another health expert regarding
precautions you may want to consider.
Visit fcgov.com/fluoride for more information.
Vulnerable
Populations
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants
in drinking water than the general population.
Particularly at risk are immunocompromised persons,
such as those undergoing chemotherapy; those who
have received organ transplants; people with HIV/
AIDS or other immune-system disorders; and some
elderly and infants. These people should seek advice
about drinking water from their healthcare providers.
Guidelines to lessen the risk of infection by
Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are
available the EPA/Center for Disease Control. Call the
Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791 or visit
epa.gov/safewater.
Watershed program staff prepare to
collect chemical grab samples and
discharge measurements at study sites
within the upper Poudre river watershed;
Water Quality Laboratory staff perform
routine analyses on the treated water.
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Contact
fcgov.com/utilities
utilities@fcgov.com
970-221-2900
TDD: 970-224-6003
http://www.fcgov.com/utilities/what-we-do
How can I learn more about lead in the
City of Fort Collins’ drinking water?
Since 1984, eight years before EPA began regulating
lead in drinking water, Fort Collins Utilities has used
best management practices to provide conditions that
keep lead levels low in our finished drinking water.
The Water Treatment Plant operators manage the
water quality by raising the calcium level and reducing
the corrosiveness of the treated drinking water. As a
check to make sure our corrosion control approach is
effective, Fort Collins Utilities also monitors lead levels
in the drinking water of 50 homes annually. These
tests have shown the level of lead in our drinking
water to be substantially below EPA’s action level.
The source of lead in drinking water is primarily the
materials and components associated with service
lines and home plumbing. Lead service lines have
been prohibited by Fort Collins building codes
since before the 1950s. Utilities staff report that
they have only found three lead service lines in
the past 40 years of service line maintenance; the
three lines were connected to very old buildings
in the city. Lead service lines are replaced when
found. Lead-tin solder was banned by City Code
in 1986. These safeguards limit the potential
for lead contamination of drinking water.
While Fort Collins Utilities is responsible for providing
high-quality drinking water, we have limited control
over the variety of materials used in plumbing
components. If your water has been sitting for
several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead
exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2
minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If
you have concerns about your water quality, contact
the City’s Water Quality Lab at 970-221-6863.
If present, elevated levels of lead can cause
serious health problems, particularly for pregnant
women and young children. For more information,
testing methods and steps to minimize exposure, call
the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791 or
visit epa.gov/safewater/lead.
Community Participation
Community members are welcome to attend
Fort Collins Utilities’ Water Board meetings, a
citizen committee that advises City Council on
matters of policy and budget. Please see the
schedule and location at fcgov.com/cityclerk/water.
18-19462
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Page | 1 2017 Fort Collins Drinking Water Quality Policy Annual Report
2017 Fort Collins
Drinking Water Quality Policy
Annual Report
In October 1993, Fort Collins City Council Resolution 93-144 adopted the Drinking Water
Quality Policy (Attachment A) to ensure the continuous delivery of high-quality drinking water to
Fort Collins Utilities’ (Utilities) customers. This 24th annual report is a requirement of the
Drinking Water Quality Policy and summarizes the actions taken in support of policy goals
during 2017.
The Fort Collins Water Treatment Facility
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The City will provide water services that meet or exceed customer expectations for
quality, quantity and reliability.
Reliability, Capacity and Redundancy
Utilities owns an 87-million gallons/day
capacity water treatment facility that
operates 24 hours a day, seven days a
week to ensure that a continuous supply of
high-quality drinking water is delivered to
our customers. Staff is available at all times
to respond to customer complaints and
concerns regarding drinking water quality
and reliability of service.
In 2017, the plant produced 8.2 billion
gallons of drinking water. Peak day
production was 45.0 million gallons/day, or
52 percent of plant capacity. At this rate,
available treated water storage would
meet 18 hours of peak demand,
exceeding the benchmark of storage
capacity for 12 hours of peak demand.
The treatment plant has multiple systems
and processes in place to provide high
reliability with low risk of failure. For
example, Utilities has two water sources,
three raw water pipelines, multiple chemical
storage tanks, delivery systems, treatment
trains, filters and storage reservoirs.
Utilities also has a robust asset
management and preventative maintenance
program that helps ensure the provision of
safe drinking water to the community and
that standards are met for community
firefighting and emergency needs.
To increase reliability of electrical power to
the Water Treatment Facility, the Water
Production Division submitted a budget offer
in 2016 to switch power suppliers for the
Water Treatment Facility from Xcel to Fort
Collins Utilities Light and Power.
Throughout initial negotiations with Xcel, it
became evident that the way to implement
this change was to ask City Council to
annex the Water Treatment Facility property
into City limits. A flagpole annexation was
approved on Feb. 20, 2018, and the Water
Treatment Facility is working with Light and
Power to connect the facility to the grid by
the end of 2018. In addition to increasing
system reliability, this change will also
create a more collaborative environment for
use of on-site renewable electricity
generation .
GOAL 1
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Regulatory Changes
The anticipated revised lead/copper rule did not get drafted or finalized in 2017. Currently,
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working on the rule with a proposal date of
February 2019.
Monitoring for the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule was completed in
2017. As a result, Utilities is no longer required to monitor the two source waters for
cryptosporidium, E. coli and turbidity. Additional monitoring for this rule is only required if Utilities
uses a new water source.
The operator in responsible charge for treatment operations was changed from the plant
operations manager to the plant operations director. The operator in responsible charge for the
distribution system was changed to the newly appointed water field operations manager.
Per the Colorado Primary Drinking Water regulation, the number of monthly total coliform
samples is based on the population supplied by Utilities. Since the population continues to grow,
efforts to identify additional sampling locations were started in 2017. This will help ensure
Utilities is ready to collect additional samples when the current population threshold is crossed.
Water Quality Complaints
In 2017, the City received 60 drinking water
quality complaints, equating to a rate of 0.48
per 1,000 customers. This was a decrease
of one complaint from 2016 and remains
well under benchmark goals. Staff
responded to 44 of the complaints at the
site to talk with customers and collect water
samples. Based on the 2017 Benchmarking
Manual from the American Water Works
Association, 23 other participating utilities
had a median number of technical water
complaints of 5.4 per 1,000 customer
accounts. The “best” quartile rate observed
by other participating utilities was 1.1 per
1,000; at 0.48 per 1,000, the City was
“better than the best.”
Figure 1
Figure 2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
Complaints by Quarter 2017
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
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The City will protect and maintain high water quality in the development of all codes,
policies, plans and specifications related to the acquisition, production and delivery of
water services to its customers.
Partnership for Safe Water (PSW)
The Water Treatment Facility maintained its
President’s Award status for 2017. The
President’s Award is the first tier of Phase
IV of the PSW, which is the final phase. The
Award is bestowed upon top-tier water
plants that have demonstrated commitment
to providing superior quality water to their
customers, beyond the requirements of the
EPA regulations. While the Director’s
Award, which was obtained by the
Water Treatment Facility for the
previous 16 years, requires higher
performance of the overall filtered
water quality, the President’s
Award requires the performance
of each individual filter to be
evaluated. Only 36 treatment
facilities throughout the nation
have achieved this level of
recognition. Staff will evaluate the Facility’s
readiness to proceed to the Excellence in
Water Treatment Award in 2018, which is
the second tier of Phase IV of the
partnership and the highest level
recognized. Due to other priorities, staff was
unable to devote sufficient time to this
evaluation to proceed in 2017.
The PSW is an alliance of six drinking water
organizations including the EPA. This
voluntary program strives to enhance water
quality through continuous optimization of
treatment processes. Operators, managers
and administrators are provided self-
assessment and optimization tools to
improve performance above and beyond
current and proposed regulatory levels.
The PSW was originally
designed with a focus on the
treatment of drinking water but
has expanded to inspire and
recognize excellence in
distribution systems. The
distribution system was
awarded the Partnership’s
Director’s Award for distribution
excellence in 2015 and has maintained that
status in 2016 and 2017. The award was
conferred after a comprehensive,
independent review of our citywide water
quality by a national panel. The review was
based in part on water samples collected
throughout the distribution system by the
City’s Water Quality Lab.
GOAL 2
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Environmental Management System
The Water Treatment Facility has
established a formal Environmental
Management System (EMS) that is certified
to conform to the ISO 14001:2015 standard.
The ISO standard was updated in 2015 and
the EMS core team spent much of 2016 and
2017 updating our
system and
processes to
comply with the
new standard. We
successfully
passed an upgrade
audit in December.
A key aspect of the EMS is reduction in
energy use and greenhouse gas footprint. In
support of this, the facility has participated
in the Colorado Industrial Energy Challenge,
sponsored by the Colorado Governor’s
Energy Office and the U.S. Department of
Energy. The Facility achieved a 3.7 percent
decrease in overall electrical energy use
from 2016. Purchased electrical power
increased by 2.5 percent, due to a 7.8
percent decrease in power produced by the
solar field. Even with the increase,
purchased energy use levels still equate to
a 22.3 percent reduction in greenhouse gas
footprint from 2005 levels, exceeding the
City’s Climate Action Plan goal of 20
percent reduction by 2020.
Plant staff continue to pursue energy
efficiency improvements to reduce the
greenhouse gas footprint and control
operating costs associated with energy in
the face of rising treated water demands.
Environmental Leadership Program
The Environmental Leadership Program
(ELP) is a statewide environmental
recognition and reward program
administered by Colorado Department of
Public Health and Environment’s (CDPHE)
Sustainability Program.
The ELP offers benefits and incentives to
members that voluntarily go beyond
compliance with
state and federal
regulations and
who are
committed to
continual
environmental
improvement.
As the result of process improvements and
the ISO 14001:2015 certification of the
EMS, the facility has received and
maintained recognition as an ELP Gold
Leader.
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Corrective Actions from Turbidity Violation
In January, the Water Treatment Facility
received a treatment technique violation
from the CDPHE for a single maximum
turbidity event that occurred Dec. 14, 2017.
The filters that clean the water were never
affected and remained significantly below
the 1.0 turbidity units requirement.
Utilities routinely monitors the water
delivered to customers within its service
territory for turbidity (cloudiness). Turbidity
values tell us whether we are effectively
filtering the water supply.
Water sampling performed Dec. 14, 2017,
showed turbidity levels in the combined filter
effluent (CFE) of 2.5 turbidity units for a
period of 18 minutes between 8:41-8:59
a.m. This is above the standard of 1.0
turbidity units.
The high turbidity was caused by a
malfunction of the lime feed system that is
used to control the chemical characteristics
of the water and provide corrosion control in
home plumbing pipes. Lime is a safe,
approved additive to the water. Due to the
malfunction, too much lime was fed into the
water, causing a spike in turbidity.
Plant staff failed to notify the State drinking
water program (CDPHE) of the high level of
turbidity in a timely manner. The turbidity
event itself would have been a tier II
treatment technique violation, but the failure
to notify within the required timeframe
elevated the violation to tier I.
The lime dose was immediately lowered to
normal levels and the turbidity dropped
below 1.0 turbidity units after 18 minutes.
Public notice was published in both English
and Spanish on Jan. 9, 2018, as required by
CDPHE. An after-action review was
conducted internally and reviewed by a
consulting engineer. Sixteen corrective
actions were initiated because of this review
to ensure a similar incident cannot recur in
the future. Fifteen of the 16 corrective
actions have been completed. The
remaining corrective action requires
physical modification of a plant process
during a planned plant shutdown scheduled
for Dec. 12.
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The City’s water supply, treatment, storage, delivery and laboratory facilities will be
planned, designed, constructed, maintained, staffed and operated to assure safe, reliable
and cost-effective service to the residents of Fort Collins and all those served by the
City’s water utility.
Source Water Protection
The City of Fort Collins’ drinking water supply comes from two sources: the upper Cache la
Poudre River (Poudre River) and Horsetooth Reservoir. Beginning as rain and snow in the
mountains, Poudre River water originates on the eastern slope of the Continental Divide,
northwest of Fort Collins. Horsetooth water is delivered from the Colorado River Basin on the
western slope via the Colorado-Big Thompson Water Project.
In 2016, Utilities, with assistance from the Colorado Rural Water Association, CDPHE and a
local steering committee completed a Source Water Protection Plan (SWPP) for–the Poudre
River and Horsetooth Reservoir. This document guides the City’s water quality monitoring and
water supply protection priorities and directly supports the City’s Drinking Water Quality Policy:
“The City will protect raw water sources from contamination or any other activities that
would diminish the quality of water provided to customers, or that would result in
increased treatment costs.”
The SWPP (fcgov.com/source-water-monitoring) identifies potential sources of contamination
to water supplies; ranks those sources according to risk to the City’s drinking water
infrastructure and source water quality; and identifies best management practices to mitigate
those risks. Abandoned and active mines and forest health/wildfires were identified as the
highest priority threats.
An abandoned mine inventory and assessment was completed in September 2016 to determine
whether heavy metals from mine sites are a risk to our infrastructure and source water quality in
the Poudre River. The study concluded that there is no known mine drainage to the Poudre
River or its tributaries, which was consistent with metals data from routine Poudre River
monitoring from 2008-2016. Fort Collins’ water supplies are currently considered at low risk of
contamination from historical mining activity.
GOAL 3
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Since 2013, Utilities has worked collaboratively with the Coalition for the Poudre River
Watershed (CPRW) and other stakeholders to improve the health and resiliency of the Poudre
River. The City provided an initial 2-year funding for establishing the organization and retains a
fixed seat on CPRW’s Board of Directors alongside other partner utilities and stakeholders.
In 2016, CPRW worked with community stakeholders to complete the Poudre River Watershed
Resiliency Plan (poudrewatershed.org); the plan is used by Utilities to prioritize watershed
protection projects in the watershed.
Figure 2. Map showing the forest health and wildfire risk reduction priority watersheds that were
identified as part of the Upper Poudre Watershed Recovery and Resiliency Plan.
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Fuels reduction efforts within the Elkhorn Creek drainage
Utilities continues to allocate funding for collaborative wildfire restoration and mitigation projects
to protect our source watersheds. To date, restoration efforts have largely focused on projects
within the High Park Fire burn area to control soil erosion. In addition, several forest thinning
projects have been successfully completed outside of the burn area to reduce fuel loads and
mitigate the future risk of large, high-severity wildfires that could impact our source water.
The 2017 Elkhorn Creek Forest Health Initiative is a great example of a collaborative project
that successfully reduced fuels in a priority area of the Poudre River. The project was completed
using funding, labor and equipment from more than a dozen partners, including Utilities. Wildfire
risk was significantly reduced with treatments that included hand thinning, piling and burning;
mechanical treatment; and prescribed fire. The successes of this project provide a project
implementation template that will be used at a larger scale on several projects in 2018.
Source Water Quality Monitoring
Utilities collaborates with other local drinking water providers and water stakeholders to monitor
water quality trends in the Poudre River, Big Thompson River and Horsetooth Reservoir.
Monitoring includes more than 25 different chemicals, physical and microbiological
contaminants at 35 locations throughout our source watersheds. As in previous years, 2017
water quality data indicated that the City’s source watersheds continue to provide high-quality
water.
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Upper Cache la Poudre River
Since 2008, the Utilities’ Watershed Program has lead the collaborative upper Cache la Poudre
Water Quality Monitoring Program. Partner utilities include the City of Greeley and Soldier Canyon
Water Authority. This monitoring program assists partners in meeting current and future drinking
water treatment goals by reporting seasonal, short term and long-term trends in source water
quality. Seasonal, annual and 5-year water quality reports are available on the Watershed
Program website: fcgov.com/upper-poudre-monitoring.
Figure 3. Map showing the locations of Upper Cache la Poudre River Monitoring Program study
sites within the Poudre River Watershed.
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Horsetooth Reservoir
Utilities has actively monitored the water
quality in Horsetooth Reservoir since the
mid-1980s. In 2015, Utilities entered into a
cost-share agreement with Northern Water
for the monitoring of Horsetooth Reservoir
water quality to conserve resources.
Northern provides up-to-date information
about water quality conditions, periodically
analyzes data and writes trend reports. In
exchange for these services, the Fort
Collins Water Quality Lab provides
chlorophyll-a analysis for up to 200 samples
collected from sites within Northern Water’s
monitoring network as an in-kind
contribution to the program. Northern
Water’s water quality network includes
streams, canals, lakes and reservoirs
throughout the Colorado Big-Thompson and
Windy Gap projects. Water quality data and
Northern Water’s most recent Horestooth
water quality report are available at:
northernwater.org/WaterQuality/MonitoringP
rograms.aspx
Big Thompson River Watershed
Utilities is a major funder and member of the
board of directors for the Big Thompson
Watershed Forum (BTWF), along with the
City of Greeley, City of Loveland, Northern
Water, Weld County and Soldier Canyon
Water Authority. The BTWF manages a
routine water quality monitoring program,
through a contract with the U.S. Geological
Survey, on the Big Thompson River, a
major component of the Colorado-Big
Thompson (C-BT) system, which delivers
water to Horsetooth Reservoir. Northern
Water also monitors additional C-BT Project
canals and reservoirs upstream of
Horsetooth. This collaborative approach to
monitoring large watersheds reduces
sampling costs and provides a significant
shared knowledge base between partners.
For more information, visit: btwatershed.org.
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Certified Laboratory
The City is required to comply with state and federal drinking water standards. These standards
mandate that a certified laboratory perform all regulatory compliance testing. The City’s Water
Quality Lab staff provides state-certified regulatory compliance testing and reporting for Utilities
as well as 10 other regional water agencies.
The Water Quality Lab first achieved certification in bacteriology testing in 1978. Since that time,
the lab has gained certified status for a large array of water quality tests. Certified status is
achieved through a multistep process:
Figure 4 – Certified Status Achievement Process
Figure 3
The Water Quality Services Division initiated work with a consultant to complete a master plan
in 2017. This includes a condition assessment of the Water Quality Lab and will result in a five-
year plan for maintaining the lab’s capability to provide necessary services. The process will
consider such options as renovation of the current building, building a new facility, or combining
with the Pollution Control Lab into one facility and is expected to be completed in 2018.
CERTIFIED
STATUS
Application
The application process
includes documentation
regarding the qualifications
of lab staff, training,
equipment, quality
assurance documentation,
facilities and budget, as well
as proof of successful
analysis of “unknown"
performance audit samples
each year.
Audits
Annual audits involve analysis
of samples from the EPA and
other providers that contain
unknown quantities of
unknown constituents. This
rigorous approach covers an
array of parameters and
weeds out possible reporting
of false positive and false
negative results.
Inspections
Evaluation of lab staff
includes review and
verification of their formal
educational qualifications,
lab training and lab-related
work experience, as well as
hands-on demonstration of
laboratory skills. In addition,
details of written and actual
test methods and
procedures are audited to
ensure “to-the-letter”
compliance with
required EPA
specifications. Certification
inspections also include
review of the lab’s budget,
equipment, facilities and
Page | 13 2017 Fort Collins Drinking Water Quality Policy Annual Report
Asset Management
Utilities continued risk-forecasting efforts within its water production and distribution asset base
throughout 2017. The asset management risk forecast is a process to evaluate the condition of
the equipment, piping and facilities, the types of risks associated with the system, and
determinations as to timeline for replacement.
Some 2017 highlights:
• Staff continued to add asset information
to the IBM Maximo Enterprise Asset
Management System for the Water
Treatment Facility and the distribution
system.
• Continued using data from the IBM
Maximo Enterprise Asset Management
System to analyze and benchmark
maintenance metrics. We continue to
exceed our benchmark goal of four
planned maintenance events for every
one corrective maintenance event.
• Inspected, replaced media, and
recoated walls in filters 18-23. These
were the final filters scheduled for this
work, so filters 9-23 have now all been
coated and had new media placed. The
media in filters 1-8 will be replaced in
2019-2020. The walls of filters 1-8 were
coated several years ago and the
coating is still in good condition.
• Completed multiple asset replacement
projects that had been identified in the
Master Plan, including high-priority
upgrades to the electrical systems,
ensuring the continued reliability of
the plant.
• Installed or enhanced drainage systems
on the Water Treatment Facility
clearwell and main on-site finished
water storage tanks. This will facilitate
draining these assets for inspections,
cleaning and maintenance in the future.
As a result, the frequency of inspection
of the plant clearwell will be significantly
increased.
• Performed required maintenance,
adjustments and inspections on the
impressed-current cathodic protection
system, which protects metal piping on
the plant site from corrosion.
• Relocated and repurposed a large
carbon dioxide tank from the pre-
treatment side of the Water Treatment
Facility, where it had been unused for
several years, to the finishing side of the
plant, where it provided increased
capacity for corrosion control
adjustment.
• Began work to update the Cathodic
Protection Program Master Plan for the
protection of water transmission lines
throughout the City from corrosion.
Page | 14 2017 Fort Collins Drinking Water Quality Policy Annual Report
• Inspected and assessed the condition of
the 24-inch Poudre raw water pipeline.
• Cooperated with multiple agencies to
inspect the Horsetooth raw water
pipeline.
• Performed necessary minor repairs to
finished water storage tanks.
• Began work on the Water Distribution
and Wastewater Collection Master Plan,
which will identify capital improvements
necessary to maintain levels of service
in these systems.
• Performed 347 backflow surveys and
inspections.
• Took 388 cathodic protection test station
readings.
• Replaced 9,606 linear feet (LF), or 1.82
miles, of water mains out of 542 total
miles of pipe in the system. This
equates to an annual replacement rate
of ~0.34 percent. The 2017 replacement
rate was 24 percent higher than the
2016 replacement rate. Plans are being
developed to increase this rate to 1
percent replacement per year by 2020.
• Installed 40 new valves and 10 fire
hydrants during our annual water
distribution system replacement
program.
• Tested 3,624 water meters, replaced
1,488 meters, and installed 346 new
meters.
• 148 miles of water distribution pipes
were checked for leaks.
Inspecting repairs at the Goathill Tank
Inspection crews enter
the Horsetooth Pipeline
Water main replacement at Pine Street
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Distribution Maintenance System
The water distribution crews are responsible
for the operation and maintenance of 542
miles of water mains, 763 locator stations,
492 cathodic protection test stations, 12,928
valves, 3,780 fire hydrants and 38,749
water service lines in the City’s water
distribution system.
Some of the main responsibilities of the
group are to manage, implement, and set
annual goals for defined maintenance
programs. In 2017 the group was
responsible for responding to 813 customer
complaints during regular hours and 275
after hours. They also repaired 125 valves,
63 fire hydrants, 32 service lines and 17
service leaks. Additionally, 97 water main
breaks were repaired – 64 electrolysis, 23
beam breaks and 6 longitudinal breaks.
Also, four miscellaneous repairs were made
to the water mains.
Figure 4
Maintenance performed by the crews in
2016 includes maintenance checks on
2,422 valves, 74 air valves and 636 fire
hydrants. The crews also flushed the water
mains on the east side of the water
distribution system from College Avenue to
Northern Lights Drive and operated 923 fire
hydrants during that program. Leak
detection operations were performed on 148
miles of water main along with 347 backflow
surveys and inspections and took 388
cathodic protection test station readings.
Additional distribution maintenance
information is available in the asset
management section on the previous
two pages.
Figure 5
Following is a list of replacement
projects:
1. The Marriot – JFK Parkway to
Stanford Road - 1,097 LF
2. Tanglewood Drive – Creekwood
Drive to Eastwood Drive - 819 LF
3. Howes Street – Magnolia Street to
Mulberry Street – 534 LF
4. Stover Street – Swallow Road to
Boltz Drive – 1,598 LF
5. Sombrero Lane – Adobe Drive to
Sagebrush Drive – 1,598 LF
Figure 6
0
50
100
150
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Annual Main Breaks
0 50 100 150 200
Page | 16 2017 Fort Collins Drinking Water Quality Policy Annual Report
Pleasant Valley Pre-Sedimentation Basin
In 2013, a pre-sedimentation basin was put
in service ahead of the Pleasant Valley
pipeline as a water quality buffer between
the pipeline and the canal carrying water to
the pipeline from North Poudre Irrigation
Company’s Munroe Diversion off the
Poudre River. A sediment removal study
continued in 2017 comparing multiple water
quality parameters between the influent and
effluent of the basin to further verify the
efficiency of the basin and its value in
protecting water quality for our customers.
Data demonstrated a 54 percent reduction
of total suspended solids (TSS) in the
effluent of the basin as compared to the
influent.
State Certified Operators
The treatment facility operators are certified
by the Colorado Water and Wastewater
Facility Operators Certification Board as
certified water professionals. As of 2017,
the Division Manager (operator in
responsible charge, or ORC), Plant
Superintendent, and all Plant Operators had
earned the highest level of classification, ‘A’,
which also carries the profession credential,
“Certified Water Professional.” Operation of
the Water Treatment Facility requires
supervision by a certified Operator A.
Operation of our pump stations and storage
reservoirs requires supervision by a certified
Operator 3. The Division Manager (ORC)
holds a level 4 distribution system Operator
Certification, and the Plant Superintendent
holds a level 3 certification. Several Plant
Operators and other staff are also certified
distribution system operators, varying from
level 1 to level 4.
Additionally, several non-operations
personnel hold operator certifications. Other
plant personnel are encouraged to pursue
certification as plant operators, as well as
other professional certifications that
increase their skills. Two maintenance staff
hold level D certifications. One staff member
holds Professional Operator (PO)
certification through the Certification Council
for Environmental Professionals. Other
certifications held by plant staff include:
• Professional Engineer
• Certified Control Systems
Technician
• Certified Water Quality Analyst
• Hazardous Materials Technician
• Occupational Health and Safety
Technician
• Journeyman Electrician
• DOT Certification
Page | 17 2017 Fort Collins Drinking Water Quality Policy Annual Report
This report was compiled by the Water Production Division with contributions from:
• Water Quality Services Division
• Environmental Regulatory Affairs Division
• Water Field Operations Service Unit
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OUR GOALS
2017 update on activities and results
related to the Fort Collins Utilities
Drinking Water Quality Policy.
THE DRINKING WATER
QUALITY POLICY
was adopted in October 1993 to ensure
the continuous delivery of high-quality
drinking water to customers.
Find out more at
SOURCE WATER
PROTECTION PLAN IN PLACE
Collaborated with local drinking water providers to
monitor water quality trends in the Poudre and Big
Thompson rivers and Horsetooth Reservoir.
Monitoring for Long Term 2 Enhanced
Surface Water Treatment Rule was
completed, meaning we no longer need
to monitor our 2 water sources for
Cryptosporidium, E. coli and turbidity.
Cooperated with
multiple agencies to
inspect the Horsetooth
raw water pipeline.
Inspected and
assessed the
condition of the
24-inch Poudre
raw water pipeline.
Elkhorn Forest
Initiative
successfully reduced
wildfire risk along
the Poudre
MILES OF WATER DISTRIBUTION PIPES CHECKED FOR LEAKS
PERFORMED 347 BACKFLOW AND CROSS-CONNECTION SURVEYS, ensuring contaminants cannot flow back into the water supply.
To continue reliable service, master planning e orts are ongoing across the water utility,
including planning for new water pipes, laboratories and treatment plant upgrades.
The Water Treatment Facility is an
Environmental Leadership Program
GOLD LEADER.
The Water Treatment Facility established a formal
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
SYSTEM (EMS)
that is certified to conform to the
ISO 14001:2015 standard.
Water
Distribution Crews
OPERATE AND
MAINTAIN
during the annual water
distribution system
replacement program
12,928
763 Valves
40 10
Locator
Stations
Fire Hydrants
3 7 8 0
Planning and monitoring of large watersheds
reduces sampling costs and provides a
significant shared knowledge base.
DRINKING WATER
QUALITY POLICY UPDATE
OPEN HERE
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W
a
t
e
r
S
e
r
v
i
c
e
L
i
n
e
s
Water
Distribution Crews
REPLACED
Miles 1.of Water 82 Mains
INSTA
L
L
E
D
V
A
L
V
ES
Fire Hydrants
&
148
542 Miles of Water Mains 492
38,749
To read the full 2017 update, visit:
FCGOV.COM/DRINKING-WATER-UPDATE
Auxiliary aids and services are available for persons with disabilities. 970-212-2900, V/TDD 711 18-20167
HORSETOOTH RESERVOIR CACHE LA POUDRE RIVER
REPLACED MEDIA AND
RECOATED WALLS IN 6 FILTERS
WATER TREATMENT FACILITY
PEAK DAY
PRODUCTION
WAS 45M GAL
45M (52%)
Capacity 87M
PRODUCED 8.2B GALLONS OF DRINKING WATER
Pleasant Valley
Pre-Sedimentation basin reduced
suspended solids by 54%.
Performed necessary repairs to
finished water storage tanks.
Utilities received 0.48 water quality
complaints per 1,000 customers. This is 1,025%
lower than similar utilities nationwide.
High-priority upgrades to the
electrical systems, ensuring
continued reliability of the plant.
ADEQUATELY MAINTAINING OUR ASSETS ENSURES RELIABLE SERVICE
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
150
100
50
0
0 50 100 150 200
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
Annual number of MILES OF WATER
MAINS surveyed for leaks, 2012-2016
Number of MAIN BREAKS
occurring annually, 2012-2017
The Water Treatment Facility maintained its
PRESIDENTS AWARD
for excellence in drinking water quality.
The distribution system has maintained its
DIRECTORS AWARD
status for three consecutive years.
1,025%
Cathodic Protection Test Stations
388 Test Station Readings
Began identifying additional sampling locations.
x6
54%
PLEASANT VALLEY
PRE-SEDIMENTATION
BASIN
TURBIDITY VIOLATION
Received a tier 1 violation due to a technical malfunction in the
lime feed system. As a result, 16 corrective actions were initiated
to ensure a similar incident cannot recur in the future.
CERTIFIED LABORATORY
Received certified status for an array
of water quality tests. Worked with
consultant to complete Master Plan
362
Water Meters
TESTED
1 48
Water Meters
REPLACED
34
New Water
Meters
INSTALLED
(24% higher than 2016)
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• ASE Mechanic Certification
The Water Field Operations Manager
(ORC) is holds a level 4 Water System
Operator certification. All crew chiefs are
certified to at least level 2, many to level 4,
and most crew members hold certification
varying from level 1 to level 4.
The Pleasant Valley Pre-Sedimentation Basin
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2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Water Mains Surveyed for Leaks
Miles
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
Water Main Replacement
Feet
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Placement of larger CO2 tank
Inspecting a filter underdrain
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work processes.
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of free available chlorine in the distribution
system. This happened when the incorrect
testing reagent was ordered and used. There
were no adverse health effects that resulted
from this error. Laboratory and testing
procedures have been corrected to protect
against this type of error in the future.
On December 14, 2017, due to a lime feed
malfunction, the filter process effluent turbidity
value exceeded the standard of 1.0 turbidity
units for 18 minutes, and the value was not
reported to CDPHE within 24 hours. There were
no adverse health effects that resulted from this
event. In response, the lime feed, which is used
to adjust water chemistry, was reduced and
the turbidity dropped below 1.0 turbidity unit.
Watershed Program staff collect discharge
measurements on the South Fork Poudre River
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Action Level Meet Standard? Typical Sources
Copper 08/05/2017 to
08/14/2017
0.12 53 ppm 1.3 0 Yes Corrosion of household plumbing systems;
Lead 3.7 53 ppb 15 0 Yes Erosion of natural deposits
Parameter Average Range Number of Samples Unit of Measure MCL MCLG Highest Compliance Value Meet Standard? Typical Sources
Total Haloacetic Acids 18.05 11 to 24 32 ppb 60 N/A 20.10 Yes
Byproduct of drinking water
Total Trihalomethanes 29.99 14.2 to 51.1 32 ppb 80 N/A 34.52 Yes disinfection
Chlorite 0.23 0.14 to 0.35 12 ppb 1.0 0.8 0.33 Yes
Our Water Treatment Facility produces nearly
all the water it distributes. However, customers
may occasionally receive a blend of water treated
by Utilities and the Soldier Canyon Filter Plant
(SCFP). Both treatment facilities use Horsetooth
Reservoir and the Cache la Poudre River as sources
of water. The SCFP is owned by Soldier Canyon
Water Treatment Authority. To determine your
water provider, view an interactive map of water
districts in Fort Collins and surrounding areas.
The monitoring results shown here are
representative of water treated by Utilities and
the SCFP. All data are from monitoring completed
during 2017. Acronym definitions are listed below.
Definitions
AL: Action level — concentration of a contaminant,
which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other
requirements that a water system must follow.
CDPHE: Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment
ELP: Colorado Environmental Leadership Program
EMS: Environmental Management System
EPA: United States Environmental Protection
Agency
ISO: International Organization for Standardization
MCL: Maximum contaminant level — highest level
of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water.
MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible, using
the best available treatment technology.
MCLG: Maximum contaminant level goal — level of
a contaminant in drinking water, below which there
is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow
for a margin of safety.
N/A: Not applicable
NTU: Nephelometric turbidity unit — measure of
particles in the water or clarity
ppb: Parts of contaminant per billion parts of water,
µg/L
ppm: Parts of contaminant per million parts of
water, mg/L
SCFP: Soldier Canyon Filter Plant
TOC: Total organic carbon
WATER QUALITY TEST RESULTS
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regulations. Only 36 treatment facilities in the
nation have achieved this level of performance.
The distribution system was awarded the
Partnership’s Director’s Award for distribution
excellence. The award was conferred after a
comprehensive, independent review of our
city-wide water quality by a national panel.
The review was based in part on water samples
collected throughout the distribution system
by the City’s Water Quality Lab. We are the
first utility in Colorado to receive the new
Partnership for Safe Water Director’s award for
distribution excellence! A short video about
the drinking water distribution system is here:
youtube.com/watch?v=auawfeDSOUk
Lead Operator, Cole Gustafson,
receives the Partnership for Safe Water
President’s Award Plaque on behalf
of the Water Treatment Facility
Environmental Leadership
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these sites are a risk to our source water in the
Poudre River. The study concluded that there is
no known mine drainage to the Poudre River or
its tributaries, which was consistent with metals
data from routine Poudre River monitoring from
2008-2016.
Fort Collins’
water supplies
are currently
considered
at low risk of
contamination
from historical
mining activity.
Protecting Our Source Water
Water Quality Monitoring to Protect Our Water Sources
Additional information about the City’s Watershed Program and source water monitoring efforts;
including seasonal updates, annual and 5-year reports can be found at:
fcgov.com/utilities/what-we-do/water/water-quality/source-water-monitoring
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