Chloride in Colorado well water
In Colorado, chloride was detected in 100% of 7,959 tested private well samples.
Chloride mainly comes from road salt and water softener discharge. Above 250 mg/L water tastes salty and corrodes plumbing. Rising chloride in a well usually means road salt is reaching the aquifer.
Check your chloride number
Type the value from your lab report. It is compared to the EPA limit, the same way the full interpretation does it.
Test your Colorado well for chloride
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.
Order the Tap Score well water test kit, from $209Already tested? Upload the report
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Systems that remove chloride
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Some links below are affiliate links. If you buy through one, the merchant pays us a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change which products we list or what the data says.
For chloride
Under-sink reverse osmosis system
under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
Rather have it installed and sized for your well? Book a free in-home water test with a licensed local company.
Where to get a well tested for chloride in Colorado: certified labs, state programs and prices.
By county, from individual samples
Public monitoring samples against the EPA limit; counties with at least 30 samples.
| County | Above EPA limit | Samples | Detected | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pueblo | no limit | 275 | 100% | 45 | 720 mg/L |
| Elbert | no limit | 272 | 100% | 3.71 | 88.8 mg/L |
| Grand | no limit | 126 | 100% | 3.23 | 345 mg/L |
| Routt | no limit | 586 | 100% | 10 | 5,000 mg/L |
| Las Animas | no limit | 100 | 100% | 131 | 674 mg/L |
| El Paso | no limit | 1,628 | 100% | 31 | 1,800 mg/L |
| Arapahoe | no limit | 1,954 | 100% | 63 | 8,300 mg/L |
| Jefferson | no limit | 1,346 | 100% | 5.75 | 1,800 mg/L |
| Rio Blanco | no limit | 386 | 99% | 14 | 18,000 mg/L |
| La Plata | no limit | 368 | 99% | 17 | 81,200 mg/L |
| Park | no limit | 536 | 99% | 3.86 | 886 mg/L |
| Adams | no limit | 327 | 99% | 102 | 4,250 mg/L |
- Agate CCD, Elbert County100% detected of 213
- Durango Southwest CCD, La Plata County100% detected of 107
- Southeastern El Paso CCD, El Paso County100% detected of 219
- Northeast Jefferson CCD, Jefferson County100% detected of 90
- Pueblo West CCD, Pueblo County100% detected of 38
- Elizabeth CCD, Elbert County100% detected of 48
- Fountain CCD, El Paso County100% detected of 671
- Golden CCD, Jefferson County100% detected of 96
- Granby CCD, Grand County100% detected of 117
- Monument CCD, El Paso County100% detected of 41
- Lake George CCD, Park County100% detected of 128
- Hayden CCD, Routt County100% detected of 498
- Oak Creek CCD, Routt County100% detected of 49
- Weston CCD, Las Animas County100% detected of 72
- South Aurora CCD, Arapahoe County100% detected of 69
- Southwest Arapahoe CCD, Arapahoe County100% detected of 71
- Durango CCD, La Plata County100% detected of 49
- East Adams CCD, Adams County100% detected of 54
- West Adams CCD, Adams County100% detected of 34
- Brighton CCD, Adams County100% detected of 104
Sources
- Individual samples from the USGS Water Quality Portal and state monitoring, summarized per geography. chloride counts and shares are listed on each county and town page with their sources.