City of Durango
EPA ID: CO0134150 · 33,787 people served · 3 ZIP codes
Within the five-year EPA monitoring span, City of Durango accumulated 6 violations — every finding has been resolved and the utility operates in full compliance today, supplying water to approximately 33,787 people without any active enforcement proceedings.
Data: EPA SDWIS Last verified: 2026-04-02
Service Area Map
Coverage area for City of Durango Source: EPA SDWIS service area boundaries.
Service area boundary — Grade C
Service Area Demographics
The City of Durango serves a community with a median household income of $88,887 and an estimated 39,588 residents across its service area. Approximately 42% of housing stock was built before 1986, which increases the likelihood of lead service lines and older plumbing.
🌊 Where Does Your Water Come From?
City of Durango's water is drawn from rivers, lakes, or reservoirs. Surface water sources are more exposed to agricultural runoff, stormwater, and upstream discharges, but they typically receive more intensive treatment before reaching your tap.
About 1% of homes in La Plata County, Colorado rely on private wells rather than public water systems. Private well owners are responsible for their own water testing and treatment.
Infrastructure Risk
Detected Contaminants
How City of Durango compares to EPA limits
What This Means For You
Atrazine at 2 mg/L exceeds the EPA maximum of 0.003 mg/L. Endocrine disruption, cardiovascular & reproductive effects. Consider granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration.
Lead and Copper Rule at 1 mg/L exceeds the EPA maximum of mg/L.
Fecal Coliform at 1 presence exceeds the EPA maximum of presence.
E. coli at 1 Zero tolerance (any positive sample triggers immediate action) exceeds the EPA maximum of Zero tolerance (any positive sample triggers immediate action). Severe GI illness; potentially fatal kidney failure in children. Consider UV disinfection (99.99%) filtration.
Atrazine was detected in this water system. granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration can reduce exposure.
Find a certified water filter →Comparable Water Systems
Similar-sized systems in Colorado
Estimated Remediation Costs
Average estimated costs across ZIP codes served by this system
Based on national averages for common remediation projects. Actual costs vary by property. Only issues flagged by EPA, FEMA, or state data for each ZIP code are included.
System Overview
City of Durango (EPA ID: CO0134150) is a community water system in Colorado that serves approximately 33,787 people from surface water sources.
This system provides water to 3 ZIP codes across 1 community.
Average Home Safety Score: C (65/100)
Based on water quality violations, lead levels, and radon risk across all ZIP codes served by this system.
Violation History
Recent Violations
| Date | Contaminant | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2023 | Fecal Coliform | Monitoring | Resolved |
| May 1, 2023 | E. coli | Monitoring | Resolved |
Contaminants Detected
The following contaminants have been flagged in EPA records for this water system:
| Contaminant | Category | Violations | Health-Based |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atrazine | Organic | 2 | No |
| Lead and Copper Rule | Treatment Failure | 1 | No |
| Fecal Coliform | Microbiological | 1 | No |
| E. coli | Microbiological | 1 | No |
| Chlorine residual | Disinfectant | 1 | Yes |
Health Risk Details
Chlorine (Residual Disinfectant) (EPA limit: 4 mg/L (MRDL — Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level))
Irritation & DBP formation at high levels; protective at normal treatment levels At-risk groups: people with asthma or chemical sensitivities, kidney dialysis patients (water must be dechlorinated).
Removal methods: granular activated carbon (GAC), KDF media filter, carbon block filter. Find the right filter →
Lead & Copper
EPA Lead and Copper Rule sampling data for ZIP codes served by this system:
| ZIP Code | Lead Level | Exceeds Limit | Sample Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 81301 | 0.0031 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 81302 | 0.0031 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 81303 | 0.0031 mg/L | No | N/A |
Radon Risk in Service Area
Dominant radon zone for ZIP codes served by this system: Zone 1 (High Risk)
The EPA recommends testing homes in Zone 1 and Zone 2 areas for radon.
Need help with your water quality?
Typical cost: Water test: typically $20–$50 (DIY kit) · Professional inspection: $150–$400
Find the Right Water FilterFree tip: Let cold water run for 2 minutes before drinking — this helps flush lead from your pipes.
ZIP Codes Served
Coverage: 2 ZIP codes confirmed via EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3 plus 1 additional ZIP inferred from SDWIS registry data. The EPA-confirmed set is the most reliable; SDWIS-inferred entries may be narrower than the real deployment area.
Data Sources
This report uses public data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). View the full compliance record for City of Durango (CO0134150) on EPA.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is City of Durango water safe to drink?
City of Durango has recorded 1 health-based violation in the past 5 years. While the system is required to treat water to meet federal standards, you may want to consider additional precautions such as a certified water filter.
How many people does City of Durango serve?
City of Durango serves approximately 33,787 people across 3 ZIP codes in Colorado.
Where does City of Durango get its water?
The primary water source is surface water.
Contact Your Water Utility
Public-record contact information for the water utility serving this system. Use these channels to request water quality reports, ask about service, or report issues directly.
Contact information from CITY OF DURANGO Consumer Confidence Report.
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility, does not act as its agent, and does not provide customer support for it. Contact details shown are public-record information from CCR filings. For service issues, contact the utility directly using the information above.
Water Source & Treatment
Where this water originates and how it's treated before reaching your tap.
Source: CITY OF DURANGO Consumer Confidence Report.
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility. Treatment and source data are sourced from the utility's published CCR filings.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has provided a Source Water Assessment Report for our water supply. For general information or to obtain a copy of the report please visit http://wqcdcompliance.com/ccr. The report is located under “Guidance: Source Water Assessment Reports”. Search the table using 134150, DURANGO CITY OF,,or by contacting City of Durango Water Treatment staff at 970-375-4887. The Source Water Assessment Report provides a screening-level evaluation of potential contamination that could occur. It does not mean that the contamination has or will occur. We can use this information to evaluate the need to improve our current water treatment capabilities and prepare for future contamination threats. This can help us ensure that quality finished water is delivered to your homes. In addition, the source water assessment results provide a starting point for developing a source water protection plan.
Treatment regime
How this utility classifies its treatment process and what each reported treatment chemical does.
Treatment chemicals and what each one does
Chemical names are reported verbatim by the utility. Purpose categories are ZipCheckup annotations based on standard drinking-water treatment practice.
Watershed exposure sources reported
Land-use and natural conditions identified in the utility's source-water assessment as potential contamination sources upstream of treatment.
Treatment classification and chemical list sourced from CITY OF DURANGO Consumer Confidence Report.
Treatment intensity is a ZipCheckup-derived classification based on the chemicals and processes the utility reports. Chemicals and contamination sources are taken verbatim from the utility's CCR filing. Routine federal monitoring and contaminant testing shown elsewhere on this page determine whether the water meets safety standards, not the treatment classification.
Federal UCMR5 PFAS Monitoring: Tested Clean
This water system was tested under the federal EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5). No PFAS compounds were detected.
Current MCL reflects the lowest state-enforceable limit (NYS 10 ppt for PFOA/PFOS, effective August 2020). The federal final MCL of 4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS (EPA April 2024 rule) is not enforceable until April 2029. Detections above 4 ppt but below 10 ppt are below current MCL but above the future federal limit.
Source: U.S. EPA UCMR5 (Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 5th cycle) — per-system federal sampling, 2023–2025. EPA UCMR5 monitoring program →
Lead Service Line Inventory
Service line breakdown reported under the federal Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) inventory requirement:
This system reports zero confirmed lead service lines in its inventory. Unknown-material counts may still warrant verification.
Federal LCRI rule (effective October 2024) requires every public water system to inventory its service lines and complete lead-line replacement within 10 years.
Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Service Line Inventory (Phase 2) · Submitted 2026
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with the utility or state agency. Inventory figures render verbatim from the public LCRI submission cited above; ZipCheckup does not perform inspections or replacements.
Aesthetic water quality
These measurements describe the look, taste, and feel of the water this utility delivers. They are not contaminant violations — they sit alongside federal Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels (SMCLs) which the EPA publishes as non-enforceable guidance.
Aesthetic measurements from CITY OF DURANGO Consumer Confidence Report.
Aesthetic measurements are reported by the utility from its annual sampling. EPA Secondary MCLs are advisory thresholds — values outside them indicate aesthetic concerns such as taste or appearance, not health violations. Federal contaminant testing is shown in the sections above.
Notable events and violations
This section summarizes events the utility chose to disclose in its most recent Consumer Confidence Report, plus any federal compliance violations the utility recorded against itself. Both lists are utility-authored — ZipCheckup does not audit, judge, or reorder them.
Federal compliance violations on record
These entries are taken verbatim from the utility's CCR violations section. EPA defines four broad violation categories: Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL), Treatment Technique (TT), Monitoring & Reporting (M&R), and Public Notification (PN).
-
monitoring · TURBIDITY2023-05-01
FAILURE TO MONITOR AND/OR REPORT 05/01/2023 - 05/31/2023
-
monitoring · CHLORINE/CHLORAMINE2023-05-01
FAILURE TO MONITOR AND/OR REPORT 05/01/2023 - 05/31/2023
Violations record from CITY OF DURANGO Consumer Confidence Report.
Notable events from the utility's CCR
These bullet entries are the utility's own narration of operational, regulatory, or infrastructure events during the reporting period.
- A power outage on 5/3/2023 caused a server data collection failure resulting in a 6-hour period where chlorine and turbidity data was not collected.
ZipCheckup note: items above reflect what the utility published in its most recent CCR. Federal violation records are also tracked separately by the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) — the SDWIS record is the authoritative federal source for any specific regulatory action.
How Water Systems Appear in Rankings
Water systems are evaluated by violation history, contaminant detections, and service population. Larger systems with more service connections appear in more rankings.
- #39 / 50 Highest Exposure Burden (Colorado)
Frequently Asked Questions
What You Can Do
Test your water
Home test kits can detect lead, bacteria, and other contaminants at your tap. Find the right filter →
Check your specific ZIP code
Water quality can vary within a system. View nearest ZIP report →
Contact your utility
City of Durango (EPA ID: CO0134150) — request the latest Consumer Confidence Report or ask about specific contaminants.