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Most of the tap water in the U.S. is safe to drink. This may be confirmed with your water provider.

Treated drinking water that left a water treatment facility would have met the USEPA, State, and Local drinking water standards and regulations. Water providers routinely conduct water sample analyses to compile with the regulations. Different water quality parameters are tested in different routines or schedules. Critical parameters, such as temperature, pH, turbidity, and chlorine residual, are tested daily. As a customer, you can obtain previous water sampling results by contacting your water providers. The local agency routinely provides sanitary surveys to ensure the water treatment facility is in compliance. In case the facility has a serious violation determined by the local agency, the water provider will have the responsibility to contact and warn their service customers.

People may have concerns about drinking tap water directly, especially about the disinfection by-products and metals. Yes, as soon as the treated drinking water leaves a water treatment facility, the water quality decays over time. There are several factors that will impact the water quality before the water reach your house:

1. Travel Time: The longer it takes for the water to travel to your house, the poorer the water quality it will get due to chemical reactions within the flowing water as well as with the pipe wall. The industry uses the term "Water Age" to characterize the water travel time from a water treatment facility to the end-users. The typical water age is 1-3 days for a well-sized system. In general, the further away you are from the treatment facility and the lower water demand in your area, the water age will be greater.

2. Pipe Material: Old Cast-Iron pipes and lead service pipes may release iron (brown to orange color) and lead (colorless) into the water. Hence, ductile iron, copper, and PVC pipes are preferred for water piping. Water providers work diligently to replace old Cast-Iron pipes. However, it is the homeowner's responsibility to replace the lead service pipe within the property. You may check with local water providers if you have concerns about iron and lead in your tap water.

3. Pathogens: It is very rare that pathogens will enter a pressurized water distribution system. However, there will be potential for pathogenic contamination if the backflow preventer is not properly installed. If there is an odor and color problem in your tap water, you may report it immediately to the water provider.

4. Source Water Quality or Water Treatment Process: Common discoloration in tap water is caused by the precipitation of metals in the water, such as iron and manganese. These chemicals affect water appearance and stain clothing. The type of source water used and the treatment processes taken at the treatment facility will impact the treated water quality.

In summary, your tap water quality is dependent on the water treatment process and your house position within the distribution system. If you have concerns about water quality, your local water providers are your first go-to supports.

By Cel Miner LLC,

December 02, 2020 (Original Posted)

A floodplain, based on the definition from FEMA, is " an area that will be inundated by the flood event having a 1-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year". In other words, a floodplain is an area that will very likely (almost 100%) be flooded in case of a 100-year flood event.

There are two types of floodplain, riverine floodplain and coastal floodplain, distinguished by different flood sources. The riverine floodplain is the area impacted by the adjacent river or creek. The coastal floodplain is the one impacted by coastal waves. Engineers and scientists use comprehensive modeling software and engineering calculations to simulate flood events and determine the floodplain. Floodplain is regulated and enforced by the local flood community, flood control districts, as well as FEMA.

To check if a property is in a regulatory floodplain, you have the following tools:

1. Use FEMA's online portal to search the floodplain delineation near a property or address. This is an interactive tool to view the nearest floodplain. And you can download the updated local flood insurance rate map (FIRM) and flood insurance study (FIS) report from FEMA: https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home

2. Contact the local flood community for floodplain information. You can find out about your local flood community by checking here. Your local flood community is usually the City or the County: https://www.fema.gov/flood-insurance/work-with-nfip/community-status-book

3. Even if your property is not located within a regulatory floodplain, that doesn't eliminate the chance of your property being impacted. The local flood community usually has historical flood records and studies that can help determine the flood risk at or near your property. For City and County of Denver, Colorado, more floodplain information can be found here: https://www.denvergov.org/maps/map/floodplain

Why do we need to know if a property is within a floodplain?

1. Flood damage can be catastrophic for a property in case of a flood event.

2. FEMA regulation requires all property located within a floodplain (unless a LOMA was filed) to purchase the annual flood insurance, which is managed by the National Flood Insurance Program.

3. Typically, a property within a floodplain can have a lower market value.

If you have concerns with the flood risk at or near your property, you may contact the local flood community or email us. Cel Miner LLC can help you locate the resources.

By Cel Miner LLC,

December 09, 2020 (Original Posted)