Public Notifications

Dear Residents,

As you are aware, the District is experiencing elevated levels of Radium 226/228 in the water.
The Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL), as set by the State, is 5 pCi/L. Radium is tested on a quarterly basis. If the average of the prior four quarters is above 5 pCi/L, we are in violation of health department regulations and required to notify all residents.

The 2021 second quarter Radium level is 5.1 pCi/L and the four quarter average is 5.58 pCi/L. Radium levels have decreased each quarter for the last four quarters, however, we are still over the MCL. The Board of Directors is investigating other water sources and pursuing treatment options with a local engineering firm. Designing and implementing a treatment solution is a lengthy process. The Board is working diligently to rectify the problem as quickly and efficiently as possible. Thank you for your patience.

Please visit www.TellerWater1.com for regular updates. Should you have any questions or concerns, you may contact the office at (719) 687-0761 or e-mail tellerwater@gmail.com. Questions and comments are also addressed at the monthly Board meetings, which are held on the second Wednesday of each month at 5:00 PM, 212 S Chestnut Street, Woodland Park.

Sincerely,
Teller Admin Team
Lisa Rector & Nicole Rucker

Distributed 6-11-2021 Important Information About Your Drinking Water

Dear Teller County Water & Sanitation District #1 customers,

As you are aware, the District has an issue with radium 226/228 in our water supply.

At our May 12th Board meeting, the following items were discussed and approved to deal with this concern:

1. The District’s Water Operator has been working to get Well 8 back online. Once serviceable, radium tests will be conducted to determine if blending the water from Well 8 and Well 9 would result in lower radium levels.
2. Engineering firm JDS Hydro made a presentation to the Board regarding options to our infrastructure, specifically various filtering possibilities. JDS Hydro will make a visit to the water plant building at Piute to determine what may be possible. Once they have that information, JDS will submit a proposal to the Board.

Our Water Operator is working diligently to address this situation. We will continue to communicate regularly regarding our progress.

Sincerely,
Teller County Water & Sanitation District #1
Board of Directors

Dear Teller County Water & Sanitation District #1 customers,

As you are aware, the District has an issue with radium 226/228 in our water supply.

At our March 10th Board meeting, the following items were discussed and approved to deal with this concern:

1. The District has two wells that are currently offline. These two wells will be brought back online as quickly as possible. Once serviceable, radium tests will be conducted on those water sources to determine their usefulness moving forward.
2. An engineering firm will be secured to determine what infrastructure additions, if any, would be necessary to deal with radium concerns.

Our Water Operator is working diligently to address this situation. We will continue to communicate regularly regarding our progress.

Sincerely,
Teller County Water & Sanitation District #1
Board of Directors

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER
Teller County WSD
High Levels of Combined Radium

Este informe contiene información muy importante sobre su agua potable. Tradúzcalo o hable con alguien que lo entienda bien.

Our water system recently violated a drinking water requirement. Although this situation is not an emergency, as our customers you have a right to know what happened, what you should do and what we are doing to correct this situation.

We routinely monitor for the presence of drinking water contaminants. On the 4th Quarter of 2020 we were notified that our system exceeds the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for Combined Radium. The MCL is 5 pCi/L. The average level over the last year was 5.9 pCi/L.

NOTE: This advisory is NOT related to COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated that the “Virus that causes COVID-19 has not been detected in drinking water.” For additional information on COVID-19 and drinking water, you can refer to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s website: https://covid19.colorado.gov.

What does this mean? What should I do?

You may want to use an alternative drinking water supply (e.g. bottled). If you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor.

COVID-19 may represent an immediate health threat for high-risk people (i.e., over the age of 60 or people with chronic health conditions like heart, lung, kidney disease, or diabetes). High-risk populations should consult with their doctor about the relative risk of drinking tap water versus potential exposure to COVID-19 by purchasing bottled water. If you choose to use an alternative water source, consider purchasing bottled water from a company that delivers directly to your home or install a home treatment or point-of-use system (e.g., reverse osmosis system).

If you must leave your home to seek an alternative water source, such as to go to the store to purchase bottled water, due to the risk of COVID-19 exposure, we recommend that you practice social distancing. This includes staying six feet away from other people, wearing a protective face covering (e.g., surgical mask, homemade mask, bandana, scarf, etc.), and considering using credit cards, debit cards, or insta-pay services instead of cash for your purchases.

Additionally, please continue to follow good hygiene practices. For example, when you return from the store, wipe down any containers with soap and water and thoroughly wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. To minimize possible COVID-19 exposure, please try to limit the number of trips out of your home.

Some people who drink water containing radium -226 or -228 in excess of the MCL over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

If you have an infant, severely compromised immune system, are pregnant, or are elderly, you may be at increased risk and should seek advice from your doctor about drinking this water. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by bacteria and other disease-causing organisms are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

What is being done?

The District is starting the process of evaluating the new water source along with treatment options.

We anticipate resolving the problem by unknown at this time. For more information, please contact Larry Watters at wh2osllc@gmail.com or (719)338-5429, or PO BOX 578, Woodland Park, CO 80866.

*Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.*

This notice is being sent to you by: Teller County WSD – CO0160600

Date distributed: March 3, 2021