River - Dale Ranch
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
- 83 people
- Connections
- 26
- Water source
- Surface water
- Based in
- Bailey, CO
- County
- Park
- Owner
- Private
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
1 result is above the health goal. The worst: Uranium, above the health goal. No health-based violations on file since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
Copper: EPA’s file records a utility’s copper only when it exceeds the action level. The last here was 2.5 ppm, for the period ending Dec. 31, 2010. None since is on file, so it is not counted as a current finding.
Uranium, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), fluoride, nitrate, chromium (total) and arsenic: Colorado’s own results, samples taken from Jan. 8, 2020 to Aug. 4, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Above the health goal1
Uranium
Comes from the source
0.7ppb
Highest yearly average, 2025
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.7 ppb, in 2025: below EPA’s legal limit of 30 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. That is the only year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 1.0 ppb, in 2019.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Uranium”
Below EPA’s limits5
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
26ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026, one sample: 15.8 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 26 ppb, in 2020, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its one sample was 15.8 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 42 ppb, in 2012.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Forms or is added in treatment
10ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026, one sample: 4.5 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 10 ppb, in 2020, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its one sample was 4.5 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 34.6 ppb, in 2012.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
Fluoride
Forms or is added in treatment
0.37ppm
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026, one sample: 0.33 ppm
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.37 ppm, in 2025, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, its one sample was 0.33 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 0.54 ppm, in 2013.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
Nitrate
Comes from the source
0.8ppm
Highest sample; found in 7 of 7
2026, one sample: 0.3 ppm
The highest sample, in 2022, was 0.8 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, its one sample was 0.3 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 0.9 ppm, in 2012.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
Chromium (total)
Comes from the source
2.0ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 2.0 ppb, in 2025, below EPA’s legal limit of 100 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, it wasn’t found in its one sample.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Chromium (Hexavalent) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Chromium Reduction”
2 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
- Arsenic
- 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 58
Claim: Uranium
For: 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
None of the filters TapBuff has checked so far carry these claims. Search the certifier listings for the claim above.
Compare five-year costsViolations since 2016
No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016. There are 4 monitoring or reporting violations: a sample missed, late or not reported.
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Uranium, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), fluoride, nitrate, chromium (total) and arsenic results here are Colorado’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. River - Dale Ranch’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 Jan. 8, 2020 to Aug. 4, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Colorado certifies closest to the area River - Dale Ranch serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
GeoWater Services
Evergreen, CO · about 18 miles
Certified for bacteria
Gilpin County Public Health Agency
Black Hawk, CO · about 31 miles
Certified for bacteria
Hazen Research
Golden, CO · about 34 miles
Certified for nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, 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
- EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, file of Feb. 5, 2024
- 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 CO0247010. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Read up on UraniumWhat each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Uranium
- Get the utility’s own reportRiver - Dale Ranch 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
- Compare certified filtersWhat the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.Compare five-year costs