Academy water is cleared to drink, says report
By Ray Bowden/June 28, 2017
The water at the Air Force Academy is safe to drink, according to the base’s annual Drinking Water Quality Report, released June 22.
The Air Force Academy 2017 Drinking Water Quality Report indicates the base’s processes for ensuring its population has access to safe drinking water is sound, said Master Sgt. Keith Sue, the 10th Medical Group’s NCO in-charge of environmental health.
“The final outcome of the report is that our water is good,” Sue said. “There is no health risk associated with our drinking water.”
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment regulates the contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The Food and Drug Administration limits contaminants in bottled water that must provide the same protection for public health.
According to the report, contaminants that may be present in any source water include microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria; inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals; pesticides and herbicides; radioactive contaminants; and organic chemical contaminants such as industrial and petroleum byproducts.
Sue said the base environmental officials closely monitor all these levels to ensure the Academy’s population is safe.
Sue said the report shows improvements in how the Academy managed its disinfection byproducts, or “DBPs.”
“Working with the 10th Civil Engineer Squadron and Colorado Springs Utilities, we were able to bring those disinfection byproduct levels down with process improvements and infrastructure improvements,” he said. “Bioenvironmental and CE are continuously working to keep our drinking water safe.”
Another improvement was reducing the amount of water stored at the Academy.
“We are limiting the use of two large water storage tanks which directly contributed to a decrease in DBP levels,” Sue said.
Civil engineers are also replacing the main water lines at the base; while working in concert with CSU, the source supplier of the Academy’s drinking water.
“It’s an ongoing project,” Sue said. “We’re replacing the older water mains that carry drinking water throughout the base with new pipes.”
Visit the Drinking Water Quality link at www.usafa.af.mil to see the full report.