Is Colorado Springs, CO tap water safe?
Supplied by Colorado Springs Utilities · serves 464,111 people (151,608 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID CO0121150
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Colorado Springs gets its water from Colorado Springs Utilities. Parts of the city are served by 9 smaller systems: Stratmoor Hills Water & Sanitation District (6,500 people), Colorado Centre Metropolitan District (3,675 people), Canterbury Park Water System (1,240 people), The Springs MHP (1,229 people) and 5 more. Your water bill names your system.
Buys water from Fountain Valley Authority. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Not detectedNone of 29 PFAS found above EPA's reporting limits in 24 samples (2023–2025).
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 17 ppb. EPA uses 10 ppb to decide what to study further. It is not a health limit, and there is no federal limit for lithium. About 1 in 4 systems tested were above it.
- Lead
- Below action level5.7 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period ending Dec 2025. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Colorado Springs Utilities's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (719) 668-4587.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 6 entry points tested Oct 2024 to Jul 2025. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFOS Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Not detected Limit 1 | – |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
29 PFAS tested, 0 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Detected in 11 of 24 samples. Highest result 17 ppb. EPA's non-enforceable screening level is 10 ppb. Above screening level The screening level is how EPA decides what to study further, not a health limit. There is no federal limit for lithium and no filter is certified to remove it. About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 5.7 ppb lead (Jan 2023 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 6.8 ppb (Dec 2021).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2025 | 5.7 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2021 | 6.8 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2020 | 3.7 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2019 | 4.8 ppb |
| Jul 2018 – Dec 2018 | 3.6 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Jun 2018 | 4.2 ppb |
| Jul 2017 – Dec 2017 | 3.6 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Jun 2017 | 4.6 ppb |
| Jul 2016 – Dec 2016 | 4.2 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 6.1 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 7 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 4 ppb |
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 11.1 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.11 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Vanadium | 0.31 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.041 ppb | – |
| Chlorate | 63 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 1.4 ppb | 40 ppb |
Where it serves
Colorado Springs
35 ZIP codes the system reported serving
80809, 80819, 80829, 80831, 80840, 80900, 80901, 80903, 80904, 80905, 80906, 80907, 80908, 80909, 80910, 80911, 80913, 80914, 80915, 80916, 80917, 80918, 80919, 80920, 80921, 80922, 80923, 80924, 80925, 80926, 80927, 80928, 80929, 80938, 80951
Nearby utilities
- Widefield Water & Sanitation District Security-Widefield · 8 mi · PFAS above limit
- Town of Castle Rock Castle Rock · 35 mi
- Pueblo Board of Water Works Pueblo · 42 mi
- Parker Water & Sanitation District Parker · 43 mi
- Highlands Ranch Water & Sanitation District Highlands Ranch · 48 mi
- City of Englewood Englewood · 55 mi
Questions
Is Colorado Springs tap water safe to drink?
Most of Colorado Springs gets its water from Colorado Springs Utilities. Colorado Springs Utilities has no health-based violations since 2016. EPA testing found no PFAS above the federal limits. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does Colorado Springs water have PFAS?
EPA tested Colorado Springs Utilities for 29 PFAS between Oct 2024 and Jul 2025 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in Colorado Springs water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Colorado Springs Utilities is 5.7 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2025. The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for CO0121150: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID CO0121150).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- Colorado Springs Utilities's 2026 water quality report: the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (719) 668-4587.
- Colorado Springs Utilities website
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.