Is Rifle, CO tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 3 utilities serving Rifle has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Colorado’s records: City of Rifle.
City of Rifle, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the legal limit, 2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at 76.1 ppb, above the legal limit.
A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in Rifle’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
City of Rifle
Colorado · serves 9,489 people · under 100 in Rifle
1 result above the legal limit, 2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at 76.1 ppb, above the legal limit.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Cottonwood Springs MHP
Colorado · serves 750 people · under 100 in Rifle
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Uranium at 7.8 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: hard, typically 180 mg/L (10.5 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Rifle Correctional Center
Colorado · serves 287 people · based in Rifle
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 7.7 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in City of Rifle’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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Aquasana Clean Water Machine (AQ-CWM2)
Countertop
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Lead
Brita Hub Countertop Water Filter System (87340)
Countertop
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Lead
Ninja HydraSense Countertop Water Filtration System (WF1001)
Countertop
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Lead
Water testing near Rifle
The lab Colorado certifies closest to Rifle, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Mesa County Public Health Regional Laboratory
Grand Junction, CO · about 51 miles
Certified for bacteria
ZIP codes in Rifle
Which ZIP codes are in Rifle: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: CDPHE certified drinking water laboratories; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
What to do next
- Read City of Rifle’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- About Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)What it does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water