State wants $61,000 for water safety info

From the Coloradoan (Fort Collins): The state of Colorado wants to charge the Coloradoan $61,200 for information about drinking water safety.

In light of the Flint water crisis and national concern on the safety of drinking water, the Coloradoan submitted a public records request to the Water Quality Control Division of the state’s Department of Public Health and Environment earlier this month.

The request asked for three data points:

1. Water test results for lead submitted to the state by public water systems in 2013-2015;

2. A list of public water systems out of compliance with drinking water standards;

3. The number of lead service lines in the state classified by the lowest level of geography available – whether by city, zip code or water system.

The Water Quality Control Division responded to the Coloradoan’s request on Tuesday. A list of public water systems out of compliance was included in the response.

The first request was fulfilled for free because it will take less than an hour to collect the data. After the first hour of work on a request, state agencies are free to charge requestors up to $30 an hour to fulfill requests.

For the third request, the state is asking for $61,200, equivalent to 2,040 hours of staff and attorney time the state estimates will be needed to compile the data.

The Department of Public Health and Environment charges $30 an hour for all staff time associated with locating and producing records for those who request them, in accordance with Colorado open records law.

Visit the Coloradoan for more.

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