What’s in the Water? City of Casper Releases Annual Report

The City of Casper released its annual Drinking Water Quality Report for 2024. This report, mandated to be published annually by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), details the quality of drinking water delivered to city residents in 2024.

The report concludes that the City’s drinking water is safe and meets or exceeds the stringent drinking water quality standards set by the EPA.

Casper tests for 82 drinking water contaminants.

Fourteen substances were detected and are detailed in the report.

All detected contaminants tested well below EPA regulations.

“This report demonstrates the City of Casper’s commitment to providing our community with high-quality drinking water,” said Water Operations Officer Ethan Yonker.

The City of Casper reminds residents that while the City is responsible for providing high-quality drinking water to every tap, it cannot control the variety of pipe materials used by contractors at homes and businesses.

Residents who are concerned about potential lead contamination at their place of residence or business can look at Casper’s water pipe inventory at Casper Pipe Project on casperwy.gov for information on lead pipes in Casper.

2024 Drinking Water Quality Report

The report shows 17 different substances related to Casper's drinking water in 2024. All are below levels allowed by federal regulations. These include: bromate, nitrate (as nitrogen), flouride, sodium, turbidity, cryptosporidium (possibly from animal and human fecal waste), alpha emitters, combined radium, uranium, lead and copper (possibly connected to the corrosion of household plumbing), asbestos, haloacetic acids, organic carbon, chloramines, coliform bacteria, and selenium.

The City reports that they also tested for 65 other contaminants, but they were not detected.

Read the full detailed report here.

Lead and Copper

In 2023, the City of Casper conducted tests for lead and copper in its water distribution system. These are required sample that are done every three years. The City of Casper is reports Casper water is below the Action Level for both lead and copper.

Lead can cause serious health effects in people of all ages, especially pregnant women, infants, and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing.

The City of Casper is responsible for providing high quality drinking water and removing lead pipes but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components in your home. Because lead levels may vary over time, lead exposure is possible even when your tap sampling results do not detect lead at one point in time. You share the responsibility for protecting yourself and your family from the lead in your home plumbing. You can take responsibility by identifying and removing lead materials within your home plumbing and taking steps to reduce your family's risk. Before drinking tap water, flush your pipes for several minutes by running your tap, taking a shower, doing
laundry or a load of dishes.

Use only cold water for drinking, cooking, and making baby formula. Boiling water does not remove lead from water. If you have a lead service line or galvanized service line requiring replacement, you may need to flush your pipes for a longer period.

You can also use a filter certified by an American National Standards Institute accredited certifier to reduce lead in drinking water.