NoCo’s H20—Why it’s Something to Celebrate

This Letter to the Editor is solely the opinion of its author. It does not reflect the opinion of this newspaper. We intend to present messages from both sides of any issue. Email [email protected] to submit your Letter to the Editor.

By: Jim Borland, Fort Collins-Loveland Water District chairman of the board of directors

We hear it constantly—having access to high-quality, clean water is important. But why is that? Do you ever stop to think about how the lifeblood of our world, water, is processed? I have served on the Fort Collins-Loveland Water District (FCLWD) board of directors for over 30 years and I’m here to share that we need to rethink what we drink and, more importantly, celebrate and protect Northern Colorado’s water supply.

Every year, FCLWD provides a Water Quality Report, outlining where your water is sourced from, what potential contaminants are present, how we measure up in terms of state and federal guidelines, and more. The bottom line is this—we are fortunate to have the quality of water that we do. In fact, we are exceeding state and federal regulations for water quality. This is something we need to be celebrating and protecting.

From the Source

If you live in the Fort Collins/Loveland region, you should feel lucky knowing the source of your water is pristine. Our water isn’t outsourced from some unknown entity—our sources include two local, thriving community staples located in our backyard, the Poudre River and Horsetooth Reservoir. Furthermore, our treatment process is safe, effective, and has minimal to no damaging effect on our environment.

What does this mean for you? It means every time you turn on your tap you can know for certain you’re receiving high-quality, secure, reliable, and affordable water from FCLWD. Over the last 60 years, the FCLWD Board of Directors has diligently upheld our mission to ensure customers have the water they need and want. This includes pursuing additional water sources to keep our water future secure, to implementing a robust plan to maintain infrastructure, keeping systems and processes updated ensuring a strong infrastructure based on the latest technologies and industry best practices.

Ingredients Matter

Just three years ago, about a fifth of consumers in the U.S. “usually drank” bottled water and 15% drank water from a bottle exclusively. Yes, this is due to convenience, but studies allude to an interesting phenomenon—Americans tend to believe bottled water is safer than tap water.  While this may hold truth in some places, it’s important to know that many bottled waters contain complex mixtures of industrial chemicals that have never been tested for safety and, likely, is no cleaner than tap water. If you are a FCLWD consumer, the water from your tap is actually SAFER than bottled.

It Comes Down to History

Having served the District for over 30 years, I have the wisdom and experience to assure you that our water is truly some of the best around. And I mean it when I say it’s something to celebrate and protect. With so much of the world suffering from contaminated water or having little to no access to water, we should all take a moment to be grateful to live in Northern Colorado and remember just how fortunate we are to continuously reap its benefits.