Water Quality

Parker Water & Sanitation District provides both drinking water and wastewater services to our customers.

Drinking Water Treatment

PWSD’s water portfolio includes both ground and surface water sources including the Water Infrastructure & Supply Efficiency (WISE) partnership, Cherry Creek, Newlin Gulch, and the Denver Basin Aquifer. How and when PWSD pulls from those sources depends on multiple factors, including season, daily water demand, and drought conditions.

PWSD treats its drinking water in various ways depending on the source. Groundwater from the Denver Basin Aquifer meets primary drinking water standards when pulled from the ground. However, PWSD treats aquifer water for iron and manganese and applies a disinfectant before sending it through PWSD’s distribution system.

PWSD stores its Cherry Creek and Newlin Gulch surface water resources in Rueter-Hess Reservoir and treats it at its Rueter-Hess Water Purification Facility, a state-of-the-art plant using ceramic membrane filters that removes particles down to 0.1 microns in size. Using its Binny Water Treatment Plant, the City of Aurora treats PWSD's surface water originating from PWSD's participation in the WISE partnership.

Currently, 60 bacteria drinking water samples are collected and analyzed each month. Samples are taken from each water supply source and analyzed for organic, inorganic, and radiological constituents based on a monitoring schedule from Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The results are reported in the annual Consumer Confidence Report.

Drinking water is regulated by federal and state agencies operating under the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act. PWSD tests its water for more than 130 substances, including bacteria, minerals, pesticides, and microorganisms.

Wastewater Treatment

PWSD’s two wastewater treatment plants make use of advanced water treatment technologies to remove pollutants.

The wastewater plants are designed to remove not only conventional pollutants, but also algae-promoting nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. The removal is accomplished by the biological process (activated sludge) and the use of Advanced Water Treatment Filters.

Wastewater is treated to permit specifications determined by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). PWSD tests for over two dozen different pollutants on a routine basis testing and analyzing the community’s water quality.

FAQs

Is my water safe to drink?

Parker Water and Sanitation District meets all regulatory mandates for clean water.

Testing is done using sophisticated equipment and advanced procedures.

Water quality is regulated by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

How often does PWSD test water for contaminants?

The Safe Drinking Water Act mandates an annual test and Consumer Confidence Report, to explain important aspects of our water such as where it comes from and the level of contaminants as compared to allowable measurements.

Beyond that, PWSD tests weekly for bacteria in order to ensure safety and quality.

What causes discolored water?

Discolored (red) water is caused by naturally occurring minerals in well water. The discolored water poses no health risk to people or animals. Households may experience discolored water during times of hydrant flushing and District water line maintenance. To learn more about discolored (red) water, visit our Discolored Water.

If you experience discolored (red) water, avoid washing laundry because the minerals in the discolored water may stain clothing. If staining does occur, please avoid drying the clothing. Call 303-841-4627 between the hours of 7:30 am and 4:00 pm and Parker Water and Sanitation District will provide you with Iron Out, an iron stain removal powder.

After the flushing or maintenance is completed in your area, run cold water to clear any discolored water in your service lines. Put this water to good use by watering plants or grass through a garden hose.

To learn more about your water and water quality, view our most recent Consumer Confidence Report.

What are those green boxes?

PWSD Green Water sampling Box
The green boxes, or sample stations, provide designated sampling sites to retrieve potable water samples at any time (24/7) versus sampling directly from homes or businesses.

Currently, the PWSD laboratory staff sample sixty sites for one level of testing for Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) drinking water compliance.

All of these sites are from customer hose bibs. As the population increases, more sample sites are necessary to meet the regulation. Sample sites are chosen to be representative of the entire distribution system.

What is wastewater?

Wastewater is used water; it includes substances such as human waste, food scraps, oils, soaps and chemicals.

In homes, this means water from sinks, showers, bathtubs, toilets, washing machines and dishwashers. Businesses and industries also contribute their share of used water that must be cleaned.

Why treat wastewater?

It's a matter of caring for our environment and for our own health. If it is not properly cleaned, water can carry disease. Since we live, work and play so close to water, harmful bacteria have to be removed to make water safe.

Nature has an amazing ability to cope with small amounts of water wastes and pollution, but it would be overwhelmed if we didn't treat the billions of gallons of wastewater and sewage produced every day before releasing it back to the environment. Treatment plants reduce pollutants in wastewater to a level nature can handle. If the term "wastewater treatment" is confusing to you, you might think of it as "sewage treatment."

How can I help protect our water quality?

Everything that is flushed, run through the garbage disposal or dumped enters the wastewater system. Some pollutants seriously disrupt the water treatment process itself, as well as cause serious damage to homes, business and the environment.

Please do NOT flush these items:

Baby Wipes
Brake Fluid
Condoms
Dental Floss
Disposable Diapers
Feminine Napkins
Gasoline
Household Hazardous Wastes
Motor Oil
Non-Biodegradable Items
Paint or Solvents
Pesticides (Insecticides, Herbicides, Fungicides)
Pharmaceuticals/Medications
Rags
Sanitary Products
Swiffer Sweeper Pads
Tampons
Toys
Wipes of any kind (There is no such thing as a “flushable wipe, no matter what the package says.)

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