What do the 2026 test results show?
Durango puts out a yearly drinking water report. The 2026 edition covers calendar year 2025 for Public Water System CO 0134150 (City of Durango). Its tables list each contaminant that turned up, next to the legal cap. Every result that carries a cap lands below it. All figures here are in milligrams per liter, copied straight from the source.
| Test | Result | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Lead, 90th percentile of 39 samples | 0.0031 | 0.015 action level |
| Copper, 90th percentile | 0.15 | 1.3 action level |
| Nitrate | 0.032 | 10 |
| Total trihalomethanes | 0.041 | 0.080 |
| Haloacetic acids | 0.024 | 0.060 |
Bacteria tell a similar story. Out of 40 samples a month for total coliform, one came back positive, against an allowance of two. E. coli showed zero positives. The cloudiest single reading of the year, a measure called turbidity, was 0.117 units, versus a ceiling of 1.0.
Lead and copper come from 2024 sampling, because the state asks for those tests less often than yearly. Uranium and radium were last measured in April 2024, and each fell far under its cap.
Where does the water come from?
Four places. The report lists the Florida River, the Animas River, City Reservoir No. 1 and Terminal Reservoir. The city's own treatment page says the supply comes primarily from the Florida, not the Animas.
That river is under strain. Runoff in the Florida River watershed has fallen as much as 35.7 percent since the late 1980s. That comes from a study done for the city by the Mountain Studies Institute, reported by Water Education Colorado. A climatologist at Colorado State University warned in that story that the region's long drought may exaggerate the drop. The story adds that Durango stores under 10 days of supply, which is why officials fast-tracked a pipeline to Lake Nighthorse.
That is a question of quantity, not purity. Still, it shapes planning, and it is part of why conservation comes up in every utility conversation. Our utilities guide covers billing and service starts.
What is the violation the report mentions?
A paperwork-and-testing one. The report discloses two 2024 violations tied to backflow prevention, meaning devices that keep water from flowing backward into the public system. From May 29, 2024, until April 16, 2025, Durango fell short of its inspection and testing targets for those devices. The report says the lapse is not a public health risk, that residents need to do nothing, and that customers would hear within 24 hours if the water ever became unsafe.
The fix was organizational. A new Cross Connection Team now sits inside the Utilities Department, and the state accepted the 2024 documentation on April 16, 2025. Questions about the program go to 970-375-4882.
Is it hard water, and is fluoride added?
Moderately hard, by federal yardsticks. The 2025 average was 109.3, within a range of 73.2 to 147.6. The U.S. Geological Survey rates 61 to 120 as moderately hard, so the top of that range tips into plain "hard." The report also gives 6.38 grains per gallon, the unit on water softener labels.
Fluoride is added on purpose. Durango takes part in the state fluoridation program and aims for 0.7 per the report, and the 2025 average came out at 0.718. A chlorine residual, averaging 0.81, helps control microbes. As for PFAS, the family of "forever chemicals" the EPA made utilities test for in 2023, the city's results were below detection.
What if I'm worried about lead, or I live outside city service?
Start with the people who run the plant. Water treatment staff at 970-375-4887 take questions about the results, lead testing and the service line inventory the city must now keep. The report says lead in tap water mostly comes from home plumbing and service lines. It adds that three habits cut exposure: a filter certified for lead, cold water for drinking and cooking, and a few minutes of flushing before use.
Not on city water? Many rural addresses rely on wells or other providers, and their numbers will differ. Ask yours for its own annual report. This page describes only the city system, and it is not medical advice. People with weak immune systems should ask a doctor about drinking water, as the report itself advises.