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Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Legionella Bacteria and Drinking Water Disease Outbreaks


I attended the American Water Works Association’s (AWWA’s) Annual Conference and Exposition (ACE) in Denver, Colorado, earlier this year. There were some excellent sessions on a wide variety of topics. However, the session that stood out the most to me covered Legionnaires'  Disease and drinking water. Presenters include Dr. Mark Lechavellier, Dr. Chad Seidel, Sheldon Masters, and Julie Kennedy. The session covered some of the latest research into Legionella and drinking water, plus a case study regarding an outbreak in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, that occurred from 2023 to 2024.

Although there are over fifty Legionella species and about half can cause disease, Legionella pneumophila is the most important because it causes most Legionnaires' disease cases and occurs naturally in aquatic environments. The species can infect free-living Amoeba, where the amoeba can act as a host for Legionella. The 1989 drinking water Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR) set a treatment technique for Legionella and established a Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) equal to zero. Groundwater systems have no such treatment technique requirements, but one-third of the outbreaks occur in groundwater systems. Partly due to better reporting and testing, Legionella cases rose 10-fold from 1990 to 2021. Legionnaires’ outbreaks often occur in buildings such as hotels, medical facilities, and offices. People catch Legionnaires’ disease by inhaling small droplets of water suspended in the air containing Legionella. Legionnaires’ disease does not spread from person to person.

Dr. Lechavallier reported on a Legionella occurrence study that involved water testing 57 utilities. Overall, 9,118 samples were collected, and 1.2% (109) were positive. Thirty-two percent of utilities had detections. A chlorine residual of at least 0.4 mg/L dramatically reduced the positive detection frequency. Dead-end water lines, low water usage, and tank sediment raised the risk of finding Legionella. Flushing can be effective in reducing Legionella levels. Optimum Corrosion Control Treatment (OCCT) reduces pipe corrosion, which reduces the habitat where Legionella can grow. The study concluded that while eliminating Legionella is impossible, testing and management are feasible. Communicating with commercial and industrial customers about Legionella can also be beneficial. 

Unfortunately, Grand Rapids, Minnesota, experienced a severe Legionella outbreak from 2023 to 2024. Grand Rapids has a population of 11,000 and uses groundwater from five wells. The community did not disinfect and had three storage tanks (0.5 million-gallons each) and 81 miles of distribution system. Increased disease incidence began in mid-2023, but water was not believed to be the cause at that time. Legionella were not found in the water system, but the bacteria were found in the water in buildings with Legionnaires’ Disease cases. Over the next year, there were 34 total cases with 30 people hospitalized and two fatalities. After a complete assessment and expert assistance, including Dr. Seidel, chloramination started in June 2024. There have been no Legionella cases in Grand Rapids since then. Considerable effort also involved working with building owners in the town. Generally, buildings that maintain and actively implement water quality management plans do not have outbreaks.

EPA is in the process of updating its rules addressing Microbial Pathogens/Disinfection Byproducts (M/DBPs). It will be a few years before the update is finalized, and these rules will still not apply to groundwater systems. The updated rules are likely to improve the treatment technique requirements for Legionella at surface water systems. While we believe that Colorado is well-positioned to implement improvements due to our rules covering disinfectant residual, storage tanks, and cross connection control (backflow prevention), the occurrence data in this study are concerning. Additionally, even with solid operations by water utilities, important work involving water quality management plans within buildings is not part of our oversight. We encourage utilities to learn more about Legionella and consider partnering with their commercial and industrial customers, especially health facilities like hospitals and nursing homes, to take steps that could reduce the likelihood of a Legionnaires’ Disease outbreak in Colorado.  


As always, thank you for keeping our drinking water safe.

➽ Ron Falco, P.E. Safe Drinking Water Program Manager 

➽ Co-Author Chelsea Cotton, P.E. Lead Drinking Water Engineer



Monday, September 29, 2025

EPA Cyber Alerts: Cisco Products and SonicWall Cyber Incidents

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is posting the following cyber alerts in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Please reach out to EPA with any questions about this or any additional Cyber concerns  watercyberta@epa.gov.

Alert: Identify and Mitigate Potential Compromise of Cisco Devices

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing this alert to inform water and wastewater systems about Emergency Directive (ED) 25-03 issued by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). This directive highlights an ongoing exploitation campaign by an advanced threat actor targeting Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA). The campaign is widespread and involves exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities to achieve unauthenticated remote code execution on Cisco ASAs. Additionally, it includes the manipulation of read-only memory (ROM), enabling threat actors to maintain access even through reboots and system upgrades.

Link to Emergency Directive 25-03

Mitigations

Although Emergency Directive 25-03 is directed at federal agencies, EPA strongly recommends that water and wastewater systems review the Emergency Directive and follow the mitigation steps. The Emergency Directive includes a detailed step-by-step guide along with resources to assist in implementing each mitigation. Systems that outsource technology support should consult with their service providers for assistance with these steps.

Important: Water and wastewater systems are not required to report their activities to CISA, including those outlined in mitigation steps 2, 3, and 6 in the Emergency Directive. This requirement applies only to federal agencies; however, systems may choose to report voluntarily and are encouraged to do so if a compromise is detected.

Conclusion

If you have questions about any of the information in this alert, including assistance with the mitigation steps included in the Emergency Directive, please submit a request to EPA’s Cybersecurity Technical Assistance Program for the Water Sector.

Additionally, CISA has provided the following contact information specific to this Emergency Directive:

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

PFAS Grant Program Over the Past 5 Years


Click here for more information about the PFAS Grant Program.

PFAS are man-made chemicals with unique properties that make them useful for many consumer and industrial uses (e.g., waterproofing, non-stick surfaces). But those properties also make them persistent in the environment. PFAS chemicals from firefighting foam, personal products, and other substances are toxic and may get into the groundwater and surface water, potentially contaminating Colorado’s drinking water supplies. There is evidence that exposure to PFAS can lead to adverse human health effects including low infant birth weights, cancer and negative effects on the immune system. 

The state continues to address PFAS issues through legislative-directed funding from Senate Bill 20-218. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Hazardous Substances Response Act (SB20-218) was signed into law on June 29, 2020 ( C.R.S. 8-20-206.5(7)). 

The act created fees on the transportation of fuel products, which will be collected between September 1, 2020, and September 30, 2031, when the available balance in the fund is less than nine million dollars. The collected fees are placed in the PFAS Cash Fund established by the legislative bill. The funding is managed by the Water Quality Control Division and can be used for the PFAS grant program, PFAS takeback program, and PFAS technical assistance to impacted communities.

The PFAS Grant Program provides funding opportunities to eligible entities through three (3) primary project categories: 

  1. Sampling - standard sampling and Independent Environmental Studies;
  2. Emergency Assistance - to communities and water systems affected by PFAS; and 
  3. Infrastructure -water system infrastructure for the treatment of PFAS and prevention strategies for upstream sources of PFAS.

The PFAS grant program has awarded over 19 million dollars in grant funds to help communities across Colorado identify and mitigate PFAS in water. Some current and past projects include:

  • Determining the impacts of firefighting foam, ski wax, and septic systems on source water. 
  • Piloting PFAS treatment for drinking water systems and landfill leachate.
  • Installation of filtered drinking water stations in schools.
  • Several fish tissue sampling efforts.
  • Over $3.5 million to identify and assess PFAS in drinking water, source water, and groundwater. 
  • ~$12 million used to implement PFAS treatment for clean drinking water.

A full list of awarded projects can be found on the PFAS Grant Summaries webpage.  In addition, our annual legislative reports on the program progress can be found on the PFAS Laws webpage.

Any questions may be directed towards the cdphe_wqcd_pfas_grant@state.co.us email. Please use the subject line “Grant Program Questions.”

➽ Sierra Mitchell, PFAS Program Coordinator


Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Equipping Operators with Skills to Manage and Overcome Testing Anxiety!


As coaches, one thing we often hear is that sitting for water and wastewater operator certification exams is a dreaded experience. While this apprehension is completely understandable, it is not insurmountable. We are re-publishing the below article that will help you understand where this anxiety comes from, steps you can take to overcome your testing anxiety, and tangible tools to help you succeed when you take your next operator certification exam. Thank you for all the work you do to protect the environment and public health of your communities. Keep calm and test on! 

➽ Kyra Gregory, Drinking Water Training Specialist 

Note: This article has been reposted with permission from the author, Tom Healy, Director of Certification Services for The Association of Boards of Certification. Original article published Summer 2021 Arkansas Drinking Water Update

                                                                                                                                         

We have all experienced it, that feeling of dread and foreboding before taking an exam; a myriad of scenarios running through your head outlining the worst possible outcomes.

These feelings of testing anxiety are very real and can have detrimental effects on an operator’s exam performance. In fact, a recent survey of operators conducted by the Ohio Water Environment Association found that nearly 30 percent of respondents cited testing anxiety as a main cause for not passing the exam.

To examine why testing anxiety is such a prevalent phenomenon, especially in high stakes vocational testing such as an operator certification exam, I spoke with Dr. Ian MacFarlane of Elizabethtown College. Dr. MacFarlane is an Assistant Professor of Psychology, as well as a clinical psychologist. With more than 1,000 hours of therapy work with college students and adults, he has helped countless individuals recognize and overcome testing anxiety.

Why do Operators worry?

Taking a certification exam is different from a high school biology or chemistry final: the stakes are exponentially higher. Psychologically, operators may feel that taking an exam related to their everyday job duties raises a question about their professional competence. This spark of anxiety will be fanned further if a passing score on the exam is mandated for their current job or required for promotion potential.

When asked how test anxiety manifests, Dr. MacFarlane pointed to both cognitive and physical (or somatic) symptoms stating, “The most detrimental effects of anxiety are cognitive. The human brain is limited to a certain amount of processing power at one time. The more your brain is occupied with the anxiety of the exam, the less ability it has to process the exam content. It would be akin to going into a wrestling match with one hand tied behind your back. Anxiety is a ‘mental suck’ or leech draining your brain power and limiting your ability to recall information or facts that might be as familiar to you as the names of your parents.”

One particularly common manifestation of testing anxiety Dr. MacFarlane cited is detachment–an operator is likely to avoid the discomfort of test anxiety by simply not thinking about the exam. Just as your body will pass out instead of coping with a lack of oxygen, you are likely to avoid the discomfort of test anxiety by simply not thinking about the exam.  He noted, “This can be quite detrimental as this avoidance loop can cause you to disengage from exam preparatory practices which can seriously hinder performance on the exam.”

Other effects of anxiety can be seen as physiological symptoms such as nausea, stomach cramps, or lightheadedness. To explain this, Dr. MacFarlane offered, “Our bodies lack the ability to differentiate between real life and mental simulations. So, if we are extremely worried or anxious about something, our minds can create physiological manifestations that are directly associated with the negative mental simulations.”

Why do some operators who excel in their jobs perform poorly on the exam?

Even though the exam is measuring the knowledge and application of tasks that an operator performs daily, while in the testing environment, they lose the contextual cues that would normally assist them in everyday operations.

Without those additional sources of information, operators must work harder to draw parallels between the tasks on the exam and the tasks they perform in their job. In other words, because an operator is not being tested in the environment in which he/she normally performs a task (a water or wastewater system), it can be difficult to recognize and solve the same problem in a test environment.

What can operators do to help with testing anxiety?

1. Practice, Practice, Practice

There is no better way of reducing test anxiety than to spend an adequate amount of time preparing and practicing. Test-taking is a skill—one that must be practiced and honed. Dr. MacFarlane noted that in many cases, due to inefficient study techniques, people have a tendency to work on areas in which they are already proficient and to avoid areas that could use improvement. Operators should make better use of their study time by taking periodic practice tests to help gauge the areas they need to work on. As an added benefit, the practice tests will train them to work under the pressure of a time constraint. Because the time limit on most certification exams can create a state of panic, it is important that operators learn to perform under these stressors and to control the feelings of unease.

2. Don’t “cram”

Countless studies have been done over the years on the ineffectiveness of “cramming,” or waiting until the last available opportunity to study for an exam. Say an operator spends the last six hours before the exam reviewing material. It is easy for them to think that they have everything committed to memory; the material is “fresh” in their mind. The reality is that nothing could be further from the truth. Reviewing this way gives an operator a familiarity with the material, meaning he/she will be able to recognize it when they see it on paper. Unfortunately, the ability to recognize concepts is not the same as being able to recall it. The ability to recall or reconstruct information accurately when an operator needs it requires exposure to the information over a long period of time.

The best course of action is to build a study plan that spans the course of several weeks prior to the exam. The more time an operator spends reorganizing the material so it has a structure, the more likely they are to commit the information to long term memory. Operators should aim for 45-60 minutes per day with their study material for at least six weeks prior to the exam.

3. How can an operator cope with anxiety on test day?

Even the most prepared test-takers can feel anxiety on test day, but there are proven methods to counteract the effects. Operators should start with getting adequate sleep the night before. Studies have shown that people perform better on memory tasks when they are well-rested. Some people will suffer from interrupted sleep when particularly worried about something. To help with this, operators can try exercising for 30 minutes before bed. Doing so will help their bodies release excess cortisol (stress hormone) in their systems caused by anxiety and will allow them to sleep better.

An operator should ensure their body is well nourished the day of the exam. This means do not skip breakfast and eat healthy foods such as grains or fruit and avoid foods with high fat content. The goal here is to eliminate as many distractors as possible so an operator can dedicate all their attention to the exam. If an operator is tired or his/her body does not have enough fuel, it can drastically hinder their performance.

4. Breathing – The 5-5-7 Method

During the exam, it can be extremely beneficial to stop at regular intervals (perhaps every five questions) and take deep breaths. The 5-5-7 is a breathing exercise performed by inhaling for five seconds, holding your breath for another five seconds, then exhaling for seven seconds. Dr. MacFarlane suggested that completing this exercise at regular intervals during a test session can physiologically stimulate the central nervous system, which can heighten an operator’s awareness and push anxiety from their mind. He also stressed the importance of practicing this technique for several weeks prior to the exam during their preparation, saying “The more practiced you are in this technique, the more effective it will be during exam time. Your body and mind will have a Pavlovian response to the exercise which increases its effectiveness.”

5. Muscle Relaxation

Another proven technique outlined during our discussion was progressive muscle relaxation, or PMR. This is done by deliberately applying tension (by clenching) to certain muscle groups and then releasing the induced tension. During this process, all of an operator’s attention should be focused on how their muscles feel as the tension is released. As operators learn to distinguish the feelings of a tense muscle as compared to a completely relaxed one, they are able to recognize the physical effects anxiety has on their bodies and can quickly alleviate it with this technique. Operators should be encouraged to practice PMR both when preparing for the exam and on the day of testing. They should spend 15-20 minutes at a time performing this technique on their major muscle groups (feet, legs, hands, arms, neck, and shoulders) and it will help mitigate anxiety.

The Bottom Line

While these methods have been shown to help with anxiety, they may not work for everyone. There are many more techniques that may offer relief, and operators can use these tips as a starting point to find what works best for them. Above all, operators should make sure they spend adequate time studying and reviewing the material. The better command they have of the content, the less anxious they will be about the exam, and the better they will perform.

➽ Tom Healy, Director of Certification Services for The Association of Boards of Certification


Thursday, September 4, 2025

REMINDER - Walter A. Weers Outstanding Achievement Award

In the past, the Water and Wastewater Facility Operators Certification Board (board) annually issued the Walter A. Weers Outstanding Achievement Award to honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Colorado Water and Wastewater Facility Operators Certification Program (program) and to the water professionals operating facilities under the program.     

The award is named after Walter A. Weers, who devoted a half-century of outstanding volunteer service to the advancement of the certification of professionals in the Colorado water and wastewater industry. The award is intended to honor truly exceptional contributions and may not be presented each year or may be awarded to more than one recipient per year (at the discretion of the board). The award was last presented in 2019, and the program would like to raise awareness of this award in hopes of honoring an individual in 2026. 

This outstanding achievement award recognizes those individuals who:

  • Have given their time unselfishly to educate operators,
  • Have provided their expertise to the examination of operators, or
  • Have used their creativity and tenacity to build Colorado’s certification program into one of the premier programs in the country. 

Anyone who has had a direct impact on the program and the water professionals operating Colorado facilities under this program can be nominated for this award. Nominations must be submitted before October 15th of each year to be considered and acted on by the board at its November meeting. If the board decides to honor an individual, the award will be presented in conjunction with the Colorado Rural Water Association (CRWA) annual conference in March of the following year. 

Consider taking a few minutes of your time to submit an award nomination that can inspire others to continue providing outstanding service to the program and to highlight the importance of the profession and its impact on Colorado communities. Anyone can submit a nomination form, and nominations can be as short as one to two paragraphs. You never know what great acts of service and kindness you may inspire!   

You can find more information about this award on the board’s website, as well as a link to the nomination form, submission instructions, and previous recipients. 

If you have any questions about this award or the nomination process, feel free to contact Jessica Morgan cdphe.facilityoperator@state.co.us.

➽Jessica Morgan, Liaison to the Water & Wastewater Facility Operators Certification Board


Wednesday, August 27, 2025

WQCD wants your input! - What does Excellence mean to the water sector?


Click here to take the survey!

Providing safe drinking water to the public has never been a simple task. While there are thousands of water systems, and operators that are working to install backflow devices to prevent contamination, maintaining and adjusting chlorine levels, sampling and managing all the documents to prove that the work is being done and safe water is being provided, seldom is there recognition for the work.

Continually improving a water system has never been so hard. As our scientific knowledge and discoveries of contaminants expand, so do the regulations and standards operators need to uphold. This increases the work and the amount of pressure that comes with operating an entire community drinking water system. While we are not physically present on a daily basis to observe and acknowledge the effort it takes to maintain such standards, we do appreciate and rely on the knowledge and passion it takes to maintain a culture of health - that is we look at our daily routines and emergencies through a lens of protecting people’s health. One way of showing our appreciation is through the Excellence Program Awards formerly known as the Pursuing Excellence Program. We intend on continuing and revitalizing the tradition of recognizing the wonderful public water systems that have been supplying safe and clean water by showing our gratitude and how much we value the work being done.

The Excellence Awards Program will distribute two recognition awards, the Outstanding Compliance Award and the Commitment Award. The Commitment Award will focus on recognizing entities that have been proactive in enhancing their water system by submitting a project they have done that embraces a continuous improvement approach. 

We understand that "excellence" is subjective and what is considered excellent in one system's circumstances may not be the same for another system in different circumstances.  Our aim is to understand what “excellence” means to you and ensure it reflects the achievements of water professionals who are delivering exceptional performance in our water systems. One entity might be putting in maximum effort in educational outreach for exposure of the industry to recruit new operators, while a different entity might find it more rewarding to assist smaller systems in bettering their water supply and process. 

We notice and value all the different ways operators are advancing the industry and want to make sure this Commitment Award is tailored to include the opinions of water systems. In order to take into account opinions of those working first-hand in the field, we have created a two-question excellence survey that includes different ways we believe a system can achieve excellence in the industry. There are various aspects of maintaining a water system included in this survey and we want to know which ones are valued the most within this community.

To customize this Commitment Award and reward projects that resonate with the survey results, we ask that you please take a couple seconds of your day to complete the survey. The link for the survey will be below. We appreciate every response and will make sure to take them into account when discussing what projects to award.

➽ Priscila Lopez, Drinking water coach- Excellence Program Manager 

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Wildfire Planning and Recovery Playbook - 2025 Updates!

After a wet spring and variable monsoon season, wildfire season is again upon us in Colorado. As many of you are aware, our public water systems and local communities face a diverse and significant array of challenges when planning, responding, and recovering from wildfires. The best time to start planning for wildfires is right now, in advance of fires.

The Water Quality Control Division (WQCD), along with many state, federal, and local partners, have released a revised and updated version of our Wildfire Planning and Recovery Playbook, available on our Source Water Assessment and Protection website.  Several authors also hosted a webinar on July 25th, with the slide presentation and a recording available.

Pre-fire planning, response, and recovery is a team effort, and requires coordination across multiple jurisdictions, and administrative and physical boundaries. Each community wildfire event may present a unique set of circumstances that must be understood and conveyed to effectively navigate wildfire incidents. The centerpiece of the playbook is the comprehensive critical contacts list, outlining necessary points of contact along with each representative’s roles and responsibilities within the planning, response, and recovery process. Below is an example of the critical contacts list contained in the playbook.



The playbook also provides various actionable steps through each phase of the fire cycle, from planning through recovery.  Examples include identifying your values at risk, forming a recovery group and identifying partners, understanding prefire actions and resources, and roles and responsibilities of partners throughout the different phases of a wildfire incident. The playbook also includes 2 full pages of links to additional resources, including a list of funding programs and technical assistance partners.

The playbook is concise, usable, and accessible. The target audience for this playbook is public water systems, municipalities, counties, and tribes. The updated version reflects lessons learned from recent urban and suburban wildfires and the new Wildfire Ready Watersheds framework from the Colorado Water Conservation Board. Please contact the source water protection team at cdphe.wqswap@state.co.us with any questions or for more information.

➽ Robert Murphy, CPSS, Source Water Protection Program Coordinator

➽ Kristen Hughes, Source Water Protection Specialist

➽ John Duggan, Source Water & Emerging Contaminants Unit Manager