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Town of Ridgway

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
1,000 people
Connections
690
Water source
Surface water
Based in
Ridgway, CO
County
Ouray
Owner
Local government
The ZIP code it serves

81432

The short answer

2 results are above the health goal. The worst: Lead, above the health goal. 4 health-based violations since 2016.

What handles it

What was found

Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 2018 to 2026.

Uranium, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), fluoride, nitrate, arsenic and chromium (total): Colorado’s own results, samples taken from Feb. 19, 2020 to Aug. 27, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.

Above the health goal2

Lead

Comes from pipes, often your own

Above the health goal

2.5ppb

90th percentile, 2026

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 2.5 ppb, below EPA’s action level of 15 ppb. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

What handles it

Uranium

Comes from the source

Above the health goal

0.91ppb

Highest yearly average, 2025

Averaged by year, the highest was 0.91 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 1.2 ppb, in 2019.

What handles it

Below EPA’s limits4

Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)

Forms or is added in treatment

Below EPA’s limits

67.1ppb

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026

2026 average: 35.5 ppb

Averaged by year, the highest was 67.1 ppb, in 2021, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. Its highest single sample was 112 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its five samples averaged 35.5 ppb. EPA recorded no violation for total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at this utility since 2020. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 66.5 ppb, in 2014.

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

Below EPA’s limits

28.9ppb

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026

2026 average: 10.7 ppb

Averaged by year, the highest was 28.9 ppb, in 2021, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. Its highest single sample was 51.8 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its three samples averaged 10.7 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 28.6 ppb, in 2014.

What handles it

No certification claim covers this compound yet.

Fluoride

Forms or is added in treatment

Below EPA’s limits

0.25ppm

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2022

2022, one sample: 0.18 ppm

Averaged by year, the highest was 0.25 ppm, in 2020, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. In 2022, the latest year on file, its one sample was 0.18 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 0.29 ppm, in 2012.

What handles it

Nitrate

Comes from the source

Below EPA’s limits

0.016ppm

Highest sample; found in 2 of 9

2026 average: 0.014 ppm

The highest sample, in 2026, was 0.016 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. That was also the latest year on file, and its two samples averaged 0.014 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 0.081 ppm, in 2019.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
  • NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
2 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
  • Arsenic
  • Chromium (total)

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.”

At the tap, or for the whole house?

Lead and copper usually come from pipes and fixtures inside or near your home. A whole-house system sits where water enters, so it cannot catch what your own plumbing adds after it. For those, the filter that counts is the one at the tap. 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

The best water filters for lead, ranked

Violations since 2016

Contaminant or ruleTypePeriodMeasuredStatus
Surface Water Treatment RuleRequired treatment for surface water or groundwater was not met.EPA: Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR)June 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023—Resolved
Surface Water Treatment RuleRequired treatment for surface water or groundwater was not met.EPA: Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR)May 1, 2023 to May 31, 2023—Resolved
Surface Water Treatment RuleRequired treatment for surface water or groundwater was not met.EPA: Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR)April 1, 2023 to April 30, 2023—Resolved
Surface Water Treatment RuleRequired treatment for surface water or groundwater was not met.EPA: Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR)March 1, 2023 to March 31, 2023—Resolved
Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 19 monitoring or reporting violations not shown.

What this report can’t tell you

  • Everything else. Uranium, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), fluoride, nitrate, arsenic and chromium (total) results here are Colorado’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Town of Ridgway’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. 19, 2020 to Aug. 27, 2026.

Testing your own tap

Town of Ridgway’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 Town of Ridgway 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 68 miles

    Certified for bacteria

All 54 certified labs for Colorado

Sources

PWSID CO0146676. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.

Towns it serves

Also in Ouray County

All Colorado utilities

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