Risky lead levels in water in Arapahoe and Adams Counties, says report

Lead-contaminated water isn't just something that happens in Flint. A new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council found that over 18 million Americans were at risk of drinking lead-contaminated water last year.

And some of them lived in metro Denver.

Arapahoe County served 31,000 people and had an average action level excess of 17 parts per billion. The EPA's trigger level for addressing lead in drinking water is 15 ppb.

But that's only to advise of a potential risk and to suggest reducing exposures.

Adams County served 275 people and also had an average action level in excess of 17 parts per billion. Denver county didn't trigger any lead action alerts.

But don't feel too high and mighty over that. Elsewhere in the city, Denver-area contractors settled with the EPA over allegations that they violated lead-based paint rules.