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Arsenic Water

As a Colorado Aquifer Runs Low, Dangerous Heavy Metals Threaten Rural Communities’ Drinking Water

In the San Luis Valley, the ongoing megadrought and a record-low snowpack are draining groundwater and increasing its concentrations of toxic metals. There are few protections for residents drinking from private wells.

By Emily Payne

Anna Vargas, of Manassa, Colorado, is a sixth-generation resident of the San Luis Valley who is deeply embedded in local water management initiatives. She hasn’t drunk her own tap water in years out of fear of contamination. Credit: Jacob Spetzler/Inside Climate News
The Oglala Sioux Tribe could use old wells with elevated levels of arsenic to combat future wildfires. Credit: Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images and Grist

Water From Arsenic-Laced Wells Could Protect the Pine Ridge Reservation From Wildfires

By Taylar Dawn Stagner, Grist

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