Water Quality-City of Northglenn

Water Quality

Northglenn's Water Quality Laboratory at the Water Treatment Facility is charged with ensuring that the city's drinking water meets all state and federal drinking water regulations. The lab is responsible for water sampling, monitoring, testing and reporting. Laboratory staff also responds to customer concerns and assists other city departments with water quality testing.
shutterstock_715497127

It takes more than a small city to plan and protect our water quality. Northglenn partners Thornton and Westminster in addition to numerous associations to ensure the highest water quality for a over 300,000 residents via shared storage at Standley Lake. Our rigorous water quality monitoring program for the Clear Creek Watershed and the Big Dry Creek Watershed identifies pollutants and their potential impacts, while establishing guidelines for protecting our water source.

Standley_Lake

Locations
Water Treatment Facility
2350 West 112th Avenue
Northglenn, CO 80234

Wastewater Treatment Facility
5445 Weld County Road 2
Northglenn, CO 80603

Monday - Friday
7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

All Major Federal Observed Holidays

Frequently Asked Questions

Chlorine Taste and Odor

Chlorine, a disinfectant, is added to the water in its final treatment stage to kill bacteria and viruses. This is the most efficient and cost-effective method available. The amount the city uses is well below a level that would harm humans, but some people are more sensitive to the taste and odor of chlorine than others and may find it objectionable. To minimize chlorine taste, keep a jug of water in your refrigerator for drinking. The colder the water, the less noticeable the taste and odor of chlorine.

Unpleasant Odors from Sink Drains

Sometimes unpleasant odors can rise from the sink drain in your kitchen or bathroom. This is usually caused by bacterial growth.

Suggestions to minimize these drain odors:

Put orange or lemon peels in your garbage disposal.
Pour water with some bleach down the drain.
Put baking soda in the drain, followed by a few cups of boiling water.
Pour hot vinegar down the drain, followed by cold water.
Repeat as needed.

Non-Localized Sewer Odor

Floor drains that don’t get much use, including showers and basement floor drains, have p-traps that are meant to stay wet to prevent sewer odors from entering your home. Pouring a glass of water down these drains on occasion helps to keep the odors at bay. See more about sewer odors.

White Color or White Particles in Water

This seems to happen more often in winter when the drinking water is colder, but may also happen if you have an aerator attached to your faucet. There is no cause for alarm.
Tiny air bubbles in the water cause the milky or cloudy appearance. If the water is left to stand for a short while, the bubbles will rise to the surface and disappear. If the white color does not clear, you could have mineral buildup in your hot water heater. Try flushing or cleaning your hot water heater. If white particles float, you probably have a deteriorating dip tube in your hot water heater.

Rusty or Orange Colored Water

Rusty water is usually caused by high iron and manganese. This commonly occurs after a fire hydrant has been opened. Sediment that has built up in the pipe becomes dislodged and flushed into the system. While it is not harmful, it may give the water a metallic taste and could discolor clothes run through the washing machine. The fastest way to clear your water pipes is to turn on all of the taps at the same time. In about 5 to 10 minutes, the water will run clear.

Also, water heaters may rust with age, so if your water heater is old and you notice a rusty color when you run hot water, it could be time to clean or replace your water heater. If you take a hot water sample and compare it to a cold one, can you see a difference in color? If the answer is yes, the most probable source is the hot water heater.

Black Color in Water

Check the washers and o-rings inside your faucet fixtures. They can break down and ooze black.

Water Appears Muddy or Sandy

City crews may be flushing hydrants or repairing a water line in your area. Your neighbors may be noticing the same problems. Flushing all the taps in your home for 10 minutes should help alleviate the issue.

Are fixtures getting plugged with sand-like particles? Even in the toilet? The most probable source is a water softener. Zeolite, or resin beads, can escape from the water softener into the internal plumbing. This can happen even if the softener is not in use. Proper maintenance should prevent this issue. (Northglenn has only moderately hard water and in most instances, a water softener is not necessary.)