Town of Phippsburg
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
- 200 people
- Connections
- 115
- Water source
- Groundwater influenced by surface water
- Based in
- Steamboat Springs, CO
- County
- Routt
- Owner
- Local government
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
1 result is above the health goal. The worst: Uranium, above the health goal. 5 health-based violations 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 1.5 ppm, for the period ending June 30, 2017. None since is on file, so it is not counted as a current finding.
Uranium, haloacetic acids (HAA5), total trihalomethanes (TTHM), nitrate, fluoride, arsenic and chromium (total): Colorado’s own results, samples taken from Feb. 11, 2020 to Aug. 4, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Above the health goal1
Uranium
Comes from the source
2.2ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026, one sample: 2.2 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 2.2 ppb, in 2022: 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 2.2 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 2.7 ppb, in 2015.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Uranium”
Below EPA’s limits4
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Forms or is added in treatment
51.3ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026, one sample: 22.5 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 51.3 ppb, in 2023, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its one sample was 22.5 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 52.1 ppb, in 2016.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
42.3ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026 average: 23.4 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 42.3 ppb, in 2023, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. Its highest single sample was 52.1 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its two samples averaged 23.4 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 40.4 ppb, in 2013.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
Nitrate
Comes from the source
1.4ppm
Highest sample; found in 7 of 7
2026, one sample: 0.33 ppm
The highest sample, in 2021, was 1.4 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 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 sample of 0.6 ppm, in 2016.
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
0.15ppm
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2023
2023, one sample: 0.12 ppm
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.15 ppm, in 2022, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. In 2023, the latest year on file, its one sample was 0.12 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 0.21 ppm, in 2013.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
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 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
| Contaminant or rule | Type | Period | Measured | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface Water Treatment Rule | Required treatment for surface water or groundwater was not met.EPA: Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) | June 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025 | — | Resolved |
| Lead and Copper Rule | OCCT/SOWT Treatment Installation/Demonstration | March 30, 2021 | — | Resolved |
| Revised Total Coliform Rule | Coliform results required a check of the system, and the check or its fixes were not done on time.EPA: Treatment Technique, Level 1 Assessment (RTCR) | Nov. 17, 2018 | — | Resolved |
| Surface Water Treatment Rule | Required treatment for surface water or groundwater was not met.EPA: Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) | July 1, 2018 to July 31, 2018 | — | Resolved |
| Surface Water Treatment Rule | Required treatment for surface water or groundwater was not met.EPA: Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) | June 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. 23 monitoring or reporting violations not shown. | ||||
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Uranium, haloacetic acids (HAA5), total trihalomethanes (TTHM), nitrate, fluoride, arsenic and chromium (total) results here are Colorado’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Town of Phippsburg’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. 4, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Colorado certifies closest to the area Town of Phippsburg serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
ACZ Laboratories, Inc.
Steamboat Springs, CO · about 24 miles
Certified for nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, radioactivity
Routt County Env. Health Dept.
Steamboat Springs, CO · about 24 miles
Certified for bacteria
Eagle River W / S District
Avon, CO · about 48 miles
Certified for bacteria, lead and copper, metals, 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 CO0154609. 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 reportTown of Phippsburg 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