Independence WSD
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
- 567 people
- Connections
- 259
- Water source
- Groundwater
- Based in
- Denver, CO
- County
- Elbert
- Owner
- Private
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
Nothing in EPA’s and Colorado’s records for this utility is above a health goal. That covers nitrate, arsenic and other regulated chemicals, plus lead and copper, not everything. No health-based violations on file since 2016.
What was found
Fluoride, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), chromium (total), nitrate, haloacetic acids (HAA5), arsenic and uranium: Colorado’s own results, samples taken from July 22, 2021 to Aug. 3, 2026.
Below EPA’s limits5
Fluoride
Forms or is added in treatment
2.1ppm
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2026
2026 average: 1.5 ppm
Averaged by year, the highest was 2.1 ppm, in 2025, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, its three samples averaged 1.5 ppm.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
10.9ppb
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2026
2026: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 10.9 ppb, in 2023, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. Its highest single sample was 11.9 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, it wasn’t found in its one sample.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
Chromium (total)
Comes from the source
3.0ppb
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2026
2026: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 3.0 ppb, in 2025, below EPA’s legal limit of 100 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, it wasn’t found in any of its three samples.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Chromium (Hexavalent) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Chromium Reduction”
Nitrate
Comes from the source
0.2ppm
Highest sample; found in 1 of 12
2026: not found
The highest sample, in 2024, was 0.2 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, it wasn’t found in any of its three samples.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Forms or is added in treatment
1.2ppb
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2026
2026: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 1.2 ppb, in 2021, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, it wasn’t found in its one sample.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
3 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
- Arsenic
- Lead
- Uranium
Violations since 2016
No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016. There are 5 monitoring or reporting violations: a sample missed, late or not reported.
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Fluoride, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), chromium (total), nitrate, haloacetic acids (HAA5), arsenic and uranium results here are Colorado’s own from 2021 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Independence WSD’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 July 22, 2021 to Aug. 3, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Colorado certifies closest to the area Independence WSD serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Colorado Department of Health & Environment
Denver, CO · about 27 miles
Certified for bacteria
SGS North America, Inc. - Denver
Denver, CO · about 30 miles
Certified for nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Colorado Analytical Laboratory - Commerce City
Commerce City, CO · about 37 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, PFAS, radioactivity
Sources
- EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, file of Oct. 15, 2026
- EPA SDWA bulk download (SDWIS federal data), 2026 Q3
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Water Quality Control Division, results from Jan. 3, 2020 to Oct. 6, 2026, read Oct. 17, 2026
- Certified labs: CDPHE certified drinking water laboratories, read Oct. 16, 2026; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID CO0120384. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Nothing here is above a health goalIn EPA’s and Colorado’s records for this utility. They don’t cover everything, which is why the next step matters.Every contaminant TapBuff tracks
- Get the utility’s own reportIndependence WSD must send you a water quality report every year. It covers contaminants this page does not show.How to read it
- Test your own tap for leadYour service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.Lead in your water: what to do
- Decide if you want a filter at allA filter for taste or chlorine is a preference, not a need. The standards say what each kind can do.NSF/ANSI standards, decoded