Denver, CO

Denver’s airport turned off filter status lights at all water bottle filling stations. Here’s why — and what’s changing.

Published

2 years ago

May 17, 2024

Denver’s airport turned off filter status lights at all water bottle filling stations. Here’s why — and what’s changing.

Denver International Airport officials confirmed what some hawk-eyed H2O fans had already noticed — the filter status indicators on more than 100 water bottle-filling stations across DIA don’t work.

That’s because DIA shut off the indicators about a year ago. The airport’s senior maintenance official said this week that the decision was made because the indicators were throwing off maintenance cycles.

The filter indicator light is disabled on a water bottle filling station on Denver International Airport’s Concourse C on May 9, 2024, in Denver. (Photo by Jon Murray/The Denver Post)

The lights went dark about a year ago, meaning passengers had no more green, amber or red indicators to inform their drinking decisions.

But Kyle Lester, DIA’s senior vice president for maintenance, says the airport has a plan to make sure it stays on top of filter changes on the filling stations — and to ensure users can check on their status. Filters are still being changed regularly, he said, and new sensors and software now being installed will help keep them on track.

In the meantime, the dark indicator lights have prompted concerns among some travelers, including Ted Van Anne.

The retiree and frequent flyer estimates he has visited 50 airports in the last five years. One of his most frequent stops is Denver, where he flies in before driving to visit his mother in Nebraska.

“DIA is the only airport where they consistently don’t have their lights on,” Van Anne, 63, told The Denver Post. “I have walked all over the airport looking for a green light at DIA and end up never finding one.”

Lester said the new tech-heavy system will enable DIA to more closely monitor the lifespans of the facility’s water filters The upgrades, now in progress, are intended to give hydration-minded travelers more reliable information and streamline the airport’s replacement schedule at 114 filling stations spread across the airport’s terminal and three concourses.

“I am pretty excited about the transparency of it and the efficiency it will create for us,” Lester said.

The rationale for the big shutoff was that the indicator lights no longer matched up with the airport’s preventative maintenance schedule for filter replacements, he said.

“There were some glitches in there. I would hear that from technicians: ‘It doesn’t need replacement. We just replaced it,’ ” Lester said. “But it was more that we were responding to public comments because we were off cycle essentially.”

Once installed, the sensors should cut down on service calls that pull technicians away from other work.

Enter RTI Aquantix. The tech company produced the gear and software that tracks how many gallons of water have passed through a filter. The software then zeroes in on an anticipated filter replacement date. Lester said DIA has paid about $6,900 for the system.

As of Wednesday, maintenance staffers had installed sensors at 31 filling stations, Lester said. By the end of the month, Lester is hopeful installation will be completed airportwide.

Signs bearing QR codes are being added at updated stations. Users can scan a code with their phone’s camera to see real-time information about the lifespan of the filters, which are good for up to 3,000 gallons each, Lester said.

The scale of the airport’s filter replacement needs is the result of Lester and his team replacing drinking fountains with more filling stations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and shifting consumer demands.

“This is important to us,” he said. “Maybe we were caught off guard by the workload of changing out filters. Once we realized that’s not working for us, we quickly pivoted to go find a better solution.”

Van Anne is encouraged, but he’s skeptical of the new system.

“The light seems so much easier, and almost every other airport uses the light,” he said. “I guess we’ll see how it works.”

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Denver, CO

Denver area events for March 5

Published

6 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

If you have an event taking place in the Denver area, email information to carlotta.olson@gazette.com at least two weeks in advance. All events are listed in the calendar on space availability. Thursday Camilla Vaitaitis Quartet — 6:30 p.m., Dazzle at Baur’s, 1080 14th St., Denver, go online for prices. Tickets: dazzledenver.com/#/events. Miguel — 7 p.m., Fillmore Auditorium, […]

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Denver, CO

Report: Broncos expected to ‘make a splash’ at running back

Published

18 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Report: Broncos expected to ‘make a splash’ at running back

The Denver Broncos are in the market for a running back.

Just two days after NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Denver wants to have the running back position addressed before the draft, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported that the Broncos are “poised to make a splash” at running back during NFL free agency.

“Denver is the reason why the Jets used the franchise tag on Breece Hall rather than the transition tag, according to sources, making sure Denver wouldn’t get the opportunity to put together an offer the Jets would refuse to match,” Jones wrote for CBS Sports.

Jones said the Broncos would be an obvious potential landing spot for Kenneth Walker, and he noted that Travis Etienne could be a cheaper alternative. The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider also reported this week that Denver is expected to “closely examine” the RB market, and he name-dropped Walker, Etienne and Rico Dowdle.

The Broncos also have an in-house free agent at RB in J.K. Dobbins, who has expressed his desire to remain in Denver. The Broncos can begin negotiating with pending free agents from other clubs on March 9, but no deals can become official until the new league year begins on March 11. In-house free agents can be re-signed at any time.

Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.

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Denver, CO

Grand Junction, Palisade reach Great Eight in Denver

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Grand Junction, Palisade reach Great Eight in Denver

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — The Class 5A Sweet 16 has arrived, and both Grand Junction and Palisade are still standing with trips to the Great Eight in Denver on the line.

At The Jungle, the No. 2 seed Grand Junction Tigers set the tone early against No. 18 Golden. Defense carried the Tigers from the opening tip as they held the Demons to nine first quarter points while scoring 16 of their own.

Grand Junction added eight points in the second quarter while Golden managed six, sending the Tigers into halftime with a nine point lead.

Golden responded in the third quarter, outscoring Grand Junction 16 to 11 to cut the deficit to five entering the fourth. The Tigers answered in the final period, attacking the rim and converting key shots to win the quarter 19 to 10. Grand Junction secured a 54 to 41 victory to protect its home court and advance to the Great Eight in Denver.

Top seeded Palisade also defended its home floor with a trip to Denver at stake. The Bulldogs opened with nine straight points to energize a packed gym, but Frederick settled in and closed the first quarter on a run to tie the game at nine.

Frederick continued to respond in the second quarter and took an eight point lead into halftime.

Palisade shifted momentum after the break. The Bulldogs tightened defensively, holding Frederick to 21 points in the second half while scoring 39 of their own. Palisade completed the comeback to advance to the Great Eight.

Colorado Mesa University Women Deliver Historic RMAC Tournament Win

In collegiate action, the top seeded Colorado Mesa University women’s basketball team defeated Colorado School of Mines 96 to 51 in the RMAC Tournament, marking the largest margin of victory in the tournament this century.

Olivia Reed-Thyne led the Mavericks with 34 points on 11 of 15 shooting, her third 30 point performance this season. Mason Rowland added 22 points and Hallie Clark contributed 10 as Colorado Mesa matched a program record with its 31st win. The Mavericks will host the semifinals Friday with a berth in the championship game at stake.

Colorado Mesa University Men Survive Overtime Thriller

The Colorado Mesa University men’s basketball team faced New Mexico Highlands University for the third time this season. The Mavericks scored 36 first half points and led by four at the break.

New Mexico Highlands shot 50 percent in the second half, received 21 bench points and outscored Colorado Mesa 43 to 39 to force a late push. With the season in the balance, Ty Allred hit a game tying 3 pointer to make it 75 and send the game to overtime. Allred scored seven points in the extra period as Colorado Mesa earned a 91 to 90 victory to advance to the next round.

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