News

Academy water report released

  • Published
  • By Amber Baillie
  • Academy Spirit staff writer
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Academy members can get inside knowledge on the water they drink from the 2013 Drinking Water Quality Report distributed here last week.

Bioenvironmental Engineering released the annual report June 28 to inform Academy employees and residents on the water quality and services Colorado Springs Utilities supplies to the base every day.

BE tested water samples from 10 sites here throughout 2012 for contaminants such as Chloroform, Fluoride and Chlorine revealing the Academy's water meets state and federal standards, and is safe to consume.

"It reveals that the water Colorado Spring Utilities puts into our holding tanks and reservoirs is high quality," said Senior Airman Aaron Wright, alternate environmental quality manager and bioenvironmental engineering technician with the 10th Aerospace Medical Squadron. "This year we increased the number of sampling locations at the Academy. We tested in the break room of each facility and found no violations."

Sampling sites included the child development centers, youth center, Air Academy High School, Fire Stations 1 and 3, 10th Medical Group, Fam Camp, Housing Office and Arnold Hall. According to the report, potential sources of contamination here could root from aboveground, underground, leaking storage tank sites and mine sites.

"As consumers, we need to make sure our water here is top-notch," Wright said. "There have been no violations found at the Academy since 2011."

The report also provides thorough information on contaminants that may exist in public water systems, risks of those contaminants and the appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection. According to the report, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Food and Drug Administration closely regulate public water to help protect public health.

For more information on the report or public participation opportunities that may affect water quality, contact Master Sgt. Morian Tulabot and Staff Sgt. Elia Ramirez at 719-333-4825.