Skip to content
TapBuff
ZIP

Elbert Creek Water Co

What EPA’s and Colorado’s records show in this utility’s water: nitrate, arsenic and other regulated chemicals; lead and copper; and violations since 2016, with the certification that handles each result.

Serves
750 people
Connections
280
Water source
Surface water
Based in
Durango, CO
County
La Plata
Owner
Private
The ZIP code it serves

81301

The short answer

1 result is above EPA’s legal limit, and 1 more is above the health goal. The worst: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), above the legal limit. 5 health-based violations since 2016.

What handles it

What was found

Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), uranium, haloacetic acids (HAA5), nitrate, fluoride, arsenic and chromium (total): Colorado’s own results, samples taken from Feb. 11, 2020 to Aug. 6, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.

Above the legal limit1

Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)

Forms or is added in treatment

Above the legal limit

47.7ppb

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026

2026 average: 44.9 ppb

Averaged by year, the highest was 47.7 ppb, in 2020, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. Its highest single sample was 73.3 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its three samples averaged 44.9 ppb. EPA judges this limit at each sampling point, and recorded a violation for total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at this utility in 2020. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 80.9 ppb, in 2019, and EPA recorded a violation in 2019.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
  • NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”

Above the health goal1

Uranium

Comes from the source

Above the health goal

1.4ppb

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026

2026, one sample: 0.9 ppb

Averaged by year, the highest was 1.4 ppb, in 2020: below EPA’s legal limit of 30 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. In 2026, the latest year on file, its one sample was 0.9 ppb.

What handles it

Below EPA’s limits3

Haloacetic acids (HAA5)

Forms or is added in treatment

Below EPA’s limits

19.6ppb

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026

2026 average: 10 ppb

Averaged by year, the highest was 19.6 ppb, in 2020, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. Its highest single sample was 40 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its three samples averaged 10 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 50.9 ppb, in 2019.

What handles it

No certification claim covers this compound yet.

Nitrate

Comes from the source

Below EPA’s limits

0.76ppm

Highest sample; found in 7 of 7

2026, one sample: 0.15 ppm

The highest sample, in 2022, was 0.76 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, its one sample was 0.15 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 0.61 ppm, in 2015.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
  • NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”

Fluoride

Forms or is added in treatment

Below EPA’s limits

0.27ppm

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026

2026, one sample: 0.21 ppm

Averaged by year, the highest was 0.27 ppm, in 2021, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, its one sample was 0.21 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 0.26 ppm, in 2013.

What handles it

3 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
  • Arsenic
  • Chromium (total)
  • Lead

What handles it

A certification covers specific claims, not a whole standard. Look for these claims on the certifier’s listing, not the box. Wording varies a little: NSF writes “Lead Reduction,” WQA just “Lead.”

  • NSF/ANSI 53

    Claim: Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction

    For: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)

    Other certifiers’ wording: VOC Reduction

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction, Uranium

    For: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Uranium

At the tap, or for the whole house?

These come with the water itself, so a whole-house system certified for the same claims treats every tap and shower. A filter at the tap treats drinking water for much less. How whole-house systems compare.

Filters with those claims on a certifier’s listing

Disclosure: TapBuff earns a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It does not change which standard or filter we name. As an Amazon Associate, TapBuff earns from qualifying purchases. How TapBuff makes money

Compare five-year costs

Violations since 2016

Contaminant or ruleTypePeriodMeasuredStatus
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageJan. 1, 2020 to March 31, 202080.9 UG/LResolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageOct. 1, 2019 to Dec. 31, 201980.9 UG/LResolved
Lead and Copper RuleA required study or plan for corrosion control was not done on time.EPA: OCCT/SOWT Study/RecommendationApril 1, 2019—Resolved
Lead and Copper RuleRequired information about lead was not given to customers.EPA: Public EducationDec. 1, 2018—Resolved
Total organic carbonNot enough organic matter was removed. It reacts with disinfectant to form byproducts.EPA: Treatment Technique Precursor RemovalApril 1, 2018 to June 30, 2018—Resolved
Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 31 monitoring or reporting violations not shown.

What this report can’t tell you

  • Everything else. Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), uranium, haloacetic acids (HAA5), nitrate, fluoride, arsenic and chromium (total) results here are Colorado’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Elbert Creek Water Co’s own annual report, which it must send you every year, has the contaminants this page does not show.

  • Your own plumbing. Lead results are the 90th percentile across homes the utility samples. Your home’s service line, solder and fixtures decide yours. A certified lab test is the only way to know.

  • What it means for your health. This page reports what the records show and EPA’s limits and goals; it is not medical advice. If you are worried about a health effect, talk to a doctor or your local health department.

  • Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q3; UCMR 5 didn’t sample this utility; Colorado’s results run from Feb. 11, 2020 to Aug. 6, 2026.

Testing your own tap

Elbert Creek Water Co’s results are for the water it sends out. What your own service line, solder and fixtures add shows up only in a test of your tap, by a lab Colorado certifies.

The lab Colorado certifies closest to the area Elbert Creek Water Co serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.

  • La Plata County Water Quality Laboratory

    Durango, CO · about 23 miles

    Certified for bacteria

All 54 certified labs for Colorado

Sources

PWSID CO0134840. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.

Towns it serves

Also in La Plata County

All Colorado utilities

What to do next