About Aspen Water

Water Treatment Information 

The City of Aspen, its residents and guests are fortunate to have some of the finest sources of drinking water in the nation. Most of our water comes directly from Federally Designated Wilderness areas  via Castle and Maroon creeks.  This means we are primarily the first-time users of the water.

The Castle Creek Water Treatment Plant consists of 2 conventional filtration plants which have the combined capacity to produce 20 million gallons per day.  We operate 24/7, 365 days of the year. We are sampling and performing chemical analysis daily on your drinking water.  Water quality parameters are monitored continuously to ensure Aspen water meets or exceeds all federal and state drinking water regulations and to solve any potential problems quickly.

To learn more about your drinking water and Aspen’s drinking water quality, review the Annual Drinking Water Quality Reports sent to customers each year they are available in the links below. 

Water Quality FAQs 

Is my Drinking Water Hard?

Water hardness, is determined by naturally occurring minerals including calcium and magnesium.  Our source and drinking water is considered “Very hard”.  This can form scale and leave deposits in sinks and on glassware.  Our conventional treatment process does not reduce this.  Aspen’s water hardness varies with the seasons but is in the range of 130 -300 ppm (or 8- 17 grains per gallon).

What is the white residue I sometimes find on glassware, and even in ice cubes?

White residue is commonly found in showers and kitchenware as the result of dissolved minerals found in water, such as calcium and magnesium. Mineral particles can also be visible in ice cubes made with tap water. These minerals are not a risk to human health, but can build up on surfaces over time. Commercial products are available to remove white residue caused by minerals in water. 

Why does my tap water sometimes look milky or cloudy?

Milky or cloudy water is often caused by air that enters pipes and escapes in the form of oxygen bubbles when water leaves your tap. Cloudiness and air bubbles do not present a health risk. During colder months, water in outside pipes is colder and holds more oxygen than your household pipes. Consequently, when the cold water enters your building and begins to warm, the oxygen bubbles escape and cause the water to look milky.  Construction in the distribution system can also allow air to enter the pipes and cause the appearance of cloudy water. Cloudiness and air bubbles should naturally disappear in a few minutes. 

Is there Lead in my drinking water?

Lead in drinking water comes primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing.  We have not detected lead in our treated water or source water.  According to the EPA, two types of homes may be at risk for lead contamination:

• Homes that are very old (pre-WWII) with lead services or lead pipe, and
• Homes that were built between 1982 and 1987, which used copper pipe with lead-based solder. Lead-based solder was banned from use on domestic drinking water plumbing in 1987.

Home lead levels measured at taps through Aspen are well below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulatory Action Level:

• EPA Action Level is 0.015mg/L
• Aspen’s Compliance Level is 0.00mg/L

For more information about lead in drinking water visit our Lead in Water page or the EPA's Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water. 

Why do you put Chlorine in my drinking water?

The EPA requires treated tap water to have a disinfectant residual.  We blend drinking water with sodium hypochlorite to ensure protection against contaminants which could enter the distribution system.  We routinely collect and analyze samples throughout the city to ensure chlorine levels are at or below our target level.  We also monitor chlorine levels leaving the treatment plant continuously.  Chlorine is the only effective, large scale method for residual protection of drinking water. 

Is there Fluoride in my water?

Yes.  The City of Aspen does supplement additional fluoride to your drinking water, as voted on by the citizens to City Council in 1968.  Fluoride is a compound found naturally in many places, including soil, food, plants, animals and the human body, it is also found naturally at varying levels in our water sources. The United States Environmental Protection Agency's (US EPA) maximum contaminant level (MCL) and maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG) for fluoride is 4 mg/L. According to the U.S. EPA, "Some people who drink water containing fluoride in excess of the MCL over many years could get bone disease, including pain and tenderness of the bones. Fluoride in drinking water at half the MCL or more may cause mottling of children's teeth, usually in children less than nine years old. Mottling, also known as dental fluorosis, may include brown staining and/or pitting of the teeth, and occurs only in developing teeth before they erupt from the gums."  For more information about fluoride, please visit the EPA's website.