What is the Denver Water Lead Reduction Program?
Denver Water recently began their lead reduction program which intends to alert people living in the Denver Metro Area (including Lakewood, Aurora, Centennial and Commerce City) of unsafe levels of lead in their tap water. Anyone who lives in an affected building with one of four levels of lead detected will be alerted of the problem.
This program is absolutely vital for public health, although the major downside is it that it will take more than 15 years to replace all of the lead filled service lines in the Denver Metro Area. While you are waiting for your line to be replaced, it is critical that you do not drink from your tap regularly if you were alerted of lead detected in your service line. Even small amounts of lead poisoning causes serious medical conditions according to the Mayo Clinic, especially for children.
The Four Levels of Lead According to Denver Water
- No lead service line.
- Unlikely to have lead service line.
- Likely to have a lead service line; included in the replacement program.
- Confirmed lead service line, included in the replacement program.
Why You Should Consider Bottled Water Over Brita Filters
Denver Water is supplying Brita® filters to impacted residents within Denver to help them stay safe during the next 15 years, however, there are quite a few people living in affected areas and it takes time and (quite a bit of money) to deliver Brita® filters to each and every impacted resident. This means that although they may supply you a single filter now, you are most likely going to be responsible for purchasing on-going water treatment.
Unlike Bottled Water Delivery service, Brita® Filters are non-recyclable. This is a problem for a variety of reasons, but mainly because these filters cannot be broken down and reused or recycled. In comparison, when you use a 3 gallon or 5 gallon water delivery service, the strong plastic bottles are cleaned thoroughly and disinfected and then reused. These bottles are used for many, many years. Eventually, if a bottle does crack, it is recycled and broken down and formed into a new bottle (or a new product altogether). Another thing to consider is that not all Brita® filters can filter out lead – so if you choose to use a filter, make sure you purchase a “long-last” filter, instead of the cheaper standard filter.
When compared to purchasing packs of disposable bottles of water from a grocery store, Brita® filters are generally considered to be better for the environment over time.* However, a service that reuses large bottles and that recycles broken bottles has nearly zero waste that ends up in the land-fill or ocean.
If you recently received a notice from Denver Water that your tap water may contain lead, feel free to contact us to find out the exact solution that would be the best fit for you. We offer both filtration services and bottled water delivery, as well as whole-house softeners. Click here to learn more about our purified drinking water.
Rocky Mountain Bottled Water is a local, Colorado owned business that has been serving the Denver Metro Area with sustainable water solutions for over 30 years! Sign Up Today
Featured image source: https://www.denverwater.org/your-water/water-quality/lead
*Mayo Clinic On Lead Poisoning Health Effects https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lead-poisoning/symptoms-causes/syc-20354717
*Disposable Bottled Water vs Brita Filters Environmental Impact https://www.discountfilters.com/blog/bottled-water-vs-filtered-water/