AURORA (Jan. 12, 2007) – The results of more than 70 samples taken during November and December at University of Colorado Hospital and University of Colorado Denver buildings at the Anschutz Medical Campus indicate that the water there, and throughout the Fitzsimons site, meets Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s (CDPHE) water quality standards.
“At the request of customers, the CDPHE completed testing of drinking water samples taken at several buildings at the Anschutz Medical Campus and Fitzsimons,” said Glenn Bodnar, Drinking Water technical expert for CDPHE. “While the initial tests in October showed many samples with elevated levels of lead, subsequent samples using standard sampling protocols that were taken in November and December of 2006 met state health standards.”
Several older UCD buildings still show slightly elevated levels of lead in the water. The reasons for these elevated levels have been identified. UCD will continue to supply bottled water to these buildings while it completes remedial work in those locations.
“We are pleased that Aurora Water and the University of Colorado Denver will continue to monitor drinking water at Fitzsimons to ensure it is safe for consumption,” added Bodnar.
The recent cooperative sampling protocol – adopted by the UCD, the University of Colorado Hospital, the City of Aurora, the Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority and The Children’s Hospital, collected samples from 48 buildings using the Environmental Protection Agency’s lead and copper testing guidelines.
“We’re pleased that through diligent, coordinated testing we have ensured we are providing high-quality water that meets state drinking water guidelines,” said Aurora Water’s Dan Mikesell, manager of water services.
“We are satisfied that a thorough investigation has been conducted, and we now know the extent of the problem is far less than we initially suspected,” added David Turnquist, assistant vice chancellor for facilities operations at UCD. “We will continue to work closely with the city and others to monitor our water and conduct preventive measures to ensure the water quality is maintained.”
Similarly, University of Colorado Hospital Vice President of Operations Tony Ruiz noted, “We are pleased that we’ve identified the cause of these concerns, and now suspect that this was more of a problem with the way we went about sampling the water than a problem with the water itself. Patients and staff have been very understanding as we’ve investigated the issue.”
Turnquist added: “We appreciate the patience of our employees and patients while we work through this issue The City of Aurora and the CDPHE have been tremendously helpful to us in this process.”
About the University of Colorado Denver
The University of Colorado Denver is one of three universities in the University of Colorado system. Located in Denver and Aurora, Colo., the center includes schools of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and dentistry, a graduate school and a teaching hospital. For more information, visit the Web site at www.uchsc.edu or the UCD Newsroom at http://www.uchsc.edu/news.
About the University of Colorado Hospital
University of Colorado Hospital is the Rocky Mountain region's leading academic tertiary care and referral center. Recognized as one of the United States’ best hospitals by U.S.News & World Report, it is best known as an innovator in patient care and often as one of the first hospitals to bring new medicine to patients’ bedsides. For more information, visit the Web site at www.uch.edu or the UCD Newsroom at http://www.uchsc.edu/news.
About Aurora Water
Aurora Water has been providing customers with safe, high-quality drinking water that exceeds federal and state Safe Drinking Water Standards for more than 50 years.
In 2006, Aurora Water received two EPA Directors Awards for Water Quality Excellence from the Partnership for Safe Water.