Clifton Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Clifton, Colorado, in Mesa County — an unincorporated Mesa County community adjacent to Grand Junction in the Grand Valley, a major fruit-growing region on the Western Slope of Colorado — receives its municipal water from the Ute Water Conservancy District, which draws from the Colorado River through the Grand Valley diversion system at the Grand Junction-Clifton reach.

The moderately hard 130.5 mg/L hardness and TDS of 306.8 mg/L reflect the Colorado River at Grand Junction's Colorado Plateau geological character. The Colorado River through Mesa County drains the Colorado Plateau — terrain underlain by the Cretaceous Mancos Shale (calcareous marine shale — a major dissolved solids contributor), the Jurassic Morrison Formation (calcareous mudstone and sandstone — the famous dinosaur fossil formation), the Jurassic Entrada Sandstone, and the Permian evaporite-bearing units of the Paradox Basin (Paradox Formation — massive evaporite: halite, gypsum, anhydrite). The Colorado River accumulates dissolved minerals from these diverse Colorado Plateau strata, producing moderately hard water that becomes increasingly mineralized downstream.

At 130.5 mg/L, Clifton's water is moderately hard — scale builds in kettles and appliances over months, dishwashers benefit from rinse aid, and faucet aerators need periodic cleaning. Quarterly descaling is appropriate. The PFAS level of 4.7 ppt warrants a certified drinking water filter — the Colorado Army National Guard training areas, the Grand Junction VA and federal facilities, and the Mesa County energy and mining corridor contribute to the PFAS background.