Best Water Softener for Pueblo, CO — 17 Things to Know BEFORE You Buy!

Written by Craig "The Water Guy" Phillips

1. The Local Water Problem in Pueblo, CO

Every morning, thousands of Pueblo homeowners pour money down the drain without realizing it. They use three times more soap than necessary, watch their water heaters struggle against mineral buildup, and replace appliances years before they should fail. The culprit? Pueblo's municipal water supply delivers a punishing 11.2 grains per gallon (GPG) of water hardness to every tap in the city.

To understand what 11.2 GPG means for your home, think of water hardness like compound interest working in reverse. Every gallon flowing through your pipes carries 11.2 grains of dissolved calcium and magnesium — minerals that accumulate inside your plumbing system like rust building up in an engine. At this concentration, Pueblo's water is classified as "extremely hard" by water quality standards, placing it in the top 15% of hardest municipal water supplies in Colorado.

Pueblo's water originates primarily from the Arkansas River and Pueblo Reservoir, both of which flow through limestone and gypsum geological formations throughout the Arkansas River Valley. These mineral-rich rock layers dissolve into the water supply, loading every gallon with the calcium and magnesium that creates Pueblo's extreme hardness challenge. Unlike cities that blend multiple water sources to moderate mineral content, Pueblo's geography means residents receive the full mineral load from these calcium-saturated aquifers.

For Pueblo homeowners, 11.2 GPG represents a daily assault on home infrastructure. At this hardness level, scale forms rapidly on heating elements, pipe walls narrow measurably within five years, and appliance warranties become meaningless without proper water treatment. The financial stakes are real: a typical Pueblo household pays an estimated $1,200-$1,800 annually in hidden "hard water taxes" through increased energy bills, appliance replacement, and soap waste.

2. What 11.2 GPG Does to Your Home

At 11.2 grains per gallon, calcium carbonate deposits coat your water heater's heating elements like concrete setting around rebar. This isn't gradual — it's aggressive mineral accumulation that reduces heating efficiency by 12-18% within the first year alone. For Pueblo homeowners with standard tank water heaters, this translates to 40-50 additional dollars per month in gas or electric costs as the unit struggles to heat water through an ever-thickening mineral barrier.

The physics behind this damage are straightforward but relentless. When Pueblo's mineral-loaded water is heated above 140°F, dissolved calcium and magnesium ions precipitate out of solution and bond to metal surfaces as calcite crystals. Inside your water heater tank, these crystals form concentric rings around heating elements, creating an insulating shell that forces your system to work exponentially harder. A 40-gallon water heater serving a Pueblo family can lose 35-45% of its efficiency within 18 months at 11.2 GPG — turning a 10-year appliance into a 6-year replacement cycle.

Pueblo's older neighborhoods face compounded challenges as 11.2 GPG water interacts with galvanized steel pipes installed before 1980. Scale accumulation in these systems doesn't just reduce water pressure — it creates permanent pipe diameter reduction that cannot be reversed without full repiping. Homes in Pueblo's Belmont and Mesa Junction areas, many built in the 1960s and 1970s, commonly experience 30-40% flow reduction within 8-10 years as calcium deposits narrow ½-inch pipes to ¼-inch effective diameter.

Appliance manufacturers explicitly acknowledge the threat that 11.2 GPG water poses to their equipment. Tankless water heater warranties from major brands like Rinnai and Navien require professional water softening systems in areas exceeding 7 GPG — Pueblo's 11.2 GPG invalidates these warranties without proper treatment. Dishwashers face similar assault: at this hardness level, calcium deposits etch permanent clouding into dishwasher interior glass and clog spray arms within 2-3 years of normal use.

The "soap scum" that Pueblo residents battle isn't just an aesthetic annoyance — it's a chemical reaction that wastes money daily. At 11.2 GPG, calcium and magnesium ions react with soap to form insoluble precipitate instead of cleansing lather, requiring 3-4 times more detergent and soap products to achieve basic cleaning results. A typical Pueblo household spends an additional $180-$240 annually on laundry detergent, dish soap, and personal care products just to compensate for the mineral interference.

Personal comfort suffers measurably at 11.2 GPG as well. Calcium ions strip natural oils from skin and coat hair shafts with mineral residue, leaving Pueblo residents with chronically dry skin and dull, brittle hair despite using premium moisturizers and conditioners. Dermatological studies consistently show increased eczema and skin sensitivity in populations exposed to water hardness above 10 GPG — a threshold Pueblo exceeds significantly.

Calculating Pueblo's annual "hard water tax" reveals the true cost of untreated 11.2 GPG water. Between increased energy consumption, accelerated appliance replacement, excess soap purchases, and clothing damage, a typical four-person Pueblo household loses $1,400-$1,900 annually to preventable hard water damage. Over a 15-year homeownership period, this compounds to $21,000-$28,500 in avoidable costs — money that proper water softening would keep in homeowners' pockets.

3. Pueblo's Specific Contaminant Profile

Beyond Pueblo's punishing 11.2 GPG hardness baseline, residents also contend with iron and chlorine contamination — each of which interacts with water hardness in ways that compound household water quality challenges. Understanding how these contaminants behave in Pueblo's mineral-rich water environment is essential for choosing the right treatment approach.

Iron Contamination in Pueblo

Iron enters Pueblo's water supply through natural geological dissolution as Arkansas River water flows through iron-bearing sedimentary rock formations throughout the Arkansas Valley. The iron present in Pueblo water is primarily ferrous iron — dissolved, invisible, and tasteless until it encounters oxygen and oxidizes into the red-orange ferric iron that stains fixtures and laundry.

At 11.2 GPG hardness, iron contamination creates compounded problems that don't exist in soft-water cities. Iron ions bond chemically with calcium carbonate deposits, creating rust-colored scale that is exponentially more difficult to remove than standard mineral buildup. This iron-calcium combination etches permanent orange staining into toilet bowls, bathtub surfaces, and dishwasher interiors — damage that cleaning products cannot reverse.

Pueblo's iron levels typically measure between 0.2-0.4 mg/L in residential areas, approaching the EPA's secondary maximum contaminant level of 0.3 mg/L for aesthetic concerns. While these levels don't pose health risks, iron above 0.3 mg/L fouls water softener resin over time, requiring more frequent regeneration and potentially shortening system lifespan. For this reason, Pueblo homeowners with confirmed iron levels above 0.3 mg/L should consider an iron pre-filter upstream of their primary softener system.

The SoftPro Elite HE can handle moderate iron levels effectively, but Pueblo's combination of 11.2 GPG hardness plus iron contamination benefits from a two-stage approach for optimal long-term performance.

Chlorine Treatment Byproducts

Pueblo adds chlorine to its water supply as a disinfectant to eliminate bacteria and viruses during distribution through the city's aging pipe network. While chlorine serves essential public health functions, it creates taste and odor issues that many residents find objectionable, and it forms disinfection byproducts (THMs and haloacetic acids) when it reacts with organic matter in the distribution system.

The interaction between chlorine and Pueblo's 11.2 GPG hardness accelerates the degradation of rubber seals, gaskets, and flexible connectors throughout home plumbing systems. Chlorinated hard water is more corrosive than either chlorine or hardness alone, shortening the lifespan of washing machine hoses, toilet fill valves, and faucet cartridges. Pueblo homeowners often notice stronger chlorine taste and odor during summer months when higher temperatures increase chlorine demand at the treatment plant.

Chlorine levels in Pueblo typically range from 1.0-3.0 mg/L depending on seasonal demand and distance from the treatment facility. While these levels meet EPA safety requirements with comfortable margins, many residents prefer to remove chlorine taste and odor for drinking and cooking applications. Standard activated carbon filtration effectively removes chlorine, and many Pueblo homeowners pair a whole-house carbon filter with their water softener for comprehensive treatment.

The SoftPro Elite HE addresses Pueblo's hardness challenge completely but does not remove chlorine. For residents concerned about chlorine taste, odor, or its effects on plumbing components, a whole-house activated carbon filter installed downstream of the softener provides an effective solution.

4. Why Most Pueblo Homeowners Pick the Wrong Softener

After 15 years covering residential water treatment across Colorado, I've seen Pueblo homeowners make the same four costly mistakes when choosing their first water softener. These errors are expensive — often requiring complete system replacement within 2-3 years — but they're completely avoidable with the right information upfront.

Mistake 1: Buying on Price Alone

A $400 discount-store softener cannot handle continuous 11.2 GPG demand from a Pueblo household. These undersized units use low-capacity resin that exhausts completely within 2-3 days at Pueblo's hardness level, leading to frequent hard water breakthrough that defeats the entire purpose of water softening. Resin exhaustion happens exponentially faster at higher GPG levels — a 24,000-grain unit that works adequately in a 4 GPG city like Denver will fail a Pueblo household consistently, requiring regeneration every 48-72 hours and consuming salt at unsustainable rates.

Mistake 2: Confusing Softeners with Filters

Water softeners use ion exchange resin to remove calcium and magnesium ions — they do NOT reliably remove iron or chlorine. Pueblo residents dealing with 11.2 GPG hardness plus iron and chlorine contamination need a coordinated treatment approach, not a single "miracle" device. Softeners excel at hardness removal but have specific limitations that honest dealers explain upfront. Iron above 0.3 mg/L can foul softener resin over time, and chlorine passes through ion exchange media unchanged.

Mistake 3: Ignoring Grain Capacity Math

Proper softener sizing for Pueblo's 11.2 GPG requires actual calculation, not guesswork. The formula is straightforward: [People] × 75 gallons/day × 11.2 GPG = daily grain demand. For a four-person household: 4 × 75 × 11.2 = 3,360 grains consumed daily. Multiplying by seven days reveals 23,520 grains consumed weekly — meaning a 24,000-grain system operates at 98% capacity with zero buffer for high-usage days. Optimal regeneration occurs every 5-7 days, requiring at least 32,000-grain capacity for reliable Pueblo service.

Mistake 4: Overlooking Salt Efficiency

At 11.2 GPG, water softeners regenerate 2-3 times more frequently than units serving soft-water cities. An inefficient system that uses 18 pounds of salt per regeneration versus a high-efficiency unit using 8 pounds creates a 10-pound difference every cycle. Over a full year, this compounds to 500-800 additional pounds of salt — representing $150-$240 in unnecessary annual operating costs for Pueblo homeowners. Over the 10-15 year lifespan of a quality softener, salt efficiency differences total $1,500-$3,600.

5. The SoftPro Elite HE: Built for Pueblo's Water

After evaluating Pueblo's water hardness of 11.2 GPG and the presence of iron and chlorine in the local supply, one system consistently rises to the top for Pueblo homeowners: the SoftPro Elite HE Water Softener. This isn't marketing hyperbole — it's the logical conclusion after matching system capabilities to Pueblo's specific water chemistry challenges.

Salt-Based Ion Exchange Technology

Salt-free "conditioner" systems cannot handle 11.2 GPG hardness effectively. These systems attempt to change calcium crystal structure without removing hardness minerals from water — an approach that fails at extreme hardness levels like Pueblo's. The SoftPro Elite HE uses proven cation exchange resin that physically replaces calcium and magnesium ions with sodium ions, delivering genuinely soft water (under 1 GPG) regardless of incoming hardness levels. At 11.2 GPG, this complete mineral removal is the only approach that prevents scale formation in water heaters, pipes, and appliances.

Demand-Initiated Regeneration (DIR)

At 11.2 GPG, resin exhausts faster than in moderate-hardness cities, making regeneration timing critical for Pueblo households. Timer-based systems regenerate on fixed schedules regardless of actual water usage, leading to hard water breakthrough during high-demand periods or unnecessary salt waste during low-usage times. The SoftPro's DIR system monitors actual resin capacity and regenerates only when needed — preventing the hard water breakthrough that destroys the benefits of softening while minimizing salt and water consumption.

NSF/ANSI Standard 44 Certified Resin

Independent NSF certification verifies that the SoftPro's resin meets rigorous performance and materials safety standards under real-world operating conditions. For Pueblo residents already managing iron and chlorine in their water supply, knowing that the softening process itself doesn't introduce additional contaminants provides essential peace of mind. NSF Standard 44 requires extensive testing for resin durability, regeneration efficiency, and materials safety — certification that many budget softener brands cannot achieve.

Multiple Grain Capacity Options

The SoftPro Elite HE offers 32,000, 48,000, 64,000, and 80,000-grain capacity options, allowing precise sizing for Pueblo households at 11.2 GPG hardness. Using the sizing formula for a four-person Pueblo household: 4 people × 75 gallons × 11.2 GPG × 7 days = 23,520 grains weekly. Adding a 20% buffer for high-usage periods brings the requirement to 28,224 grains — making the 48,000-grain SoftPro Elite HE the optimal choice for reliable 5-7 day regeneration cycles.

10-Year Comprehensive Warranty

At 11.2 GPG, softener resin experiences heavy daily mineral loading that accelerates wear compared to moderate-hardness applications. The SoftPro's 10-year warranty provides Pueblo homeowners with protection during the period of highest hardness-related stress on system components. This warranty coverage reflects the manufacturer's confidence in the system's ability to handle extreme hardness applications over extended periods — assurance that's particularly valuable for Pueblo's challenging water conditions.

Iron-Compatible Design

The SoftPro Elite HE is engineered to work effectively downstream of iron pre-filtration systems, addressing Pueblo's dual challenge of 11.2 GPG hardness plus iron contamination. While the softener can handle moderate iron levels directly, Pueblo homeowners with iron levels approaching or exceeding 0.3 mg/L benefit from upstream iron filtration to maximize resin lifespan. The SoftPro's design accommodates this two-stage approach without voiding warranties or compromising performance.

For Pueblo households dealing with 11.2 GPG of water hardness and the compounding presence of iron and chlorine, the SoftPro Elite HE is not a comfort upgrade — it is infrastructure protection for your home.

6. How to Size Your Softener for Pueblo

Proper softener sizing for Pueblo's 11.2 GPG water requires precise calculation, not rough estimates. Undersizing leads to constant hard water breakthrough, while oversizing wastes salt and money through unnecessary regeneration frequency. Follow this step-by-step process to determine the correct grain capacity for your Pueblo household.

Step 1: Count Household Members
Include all permanent residents, including children. Temporary guests don't significantly impact long-term sizing calculations.

Step 2: Calculate Daily Water Usage
Multiply household members by 75 gallons per person per day. This accounts for drinking, cooking, bathing, laundry, and dishwashing for typical residential use patterns.

Step 3: Calculate Daily Grain Demand
Multiply daily household gallons by Pueblo's 11.2 GPG hardness level. This reveals the actual mineral load your softener must remove each day.

Step 4: Calculate Weekly Grain Demand
Multiply daily grain demand by 7 days to establish weekly resin capacity requirements.

Step 5: Add Usage Buffer
Add 20% to weekly grain demand to accommodate high-usage periods like holidays, guests, or increased laundry cycles.

Step 6: Match to SoftPro Grain Capacity
Choose the SoftPro Elite HE model that exceeds your buffered weekly demand, ensuring regeneration occurs every 5-7 days for optimal efficiency.

Example Calculation for 4-Person Pueblo Household:
4 people × 75 gallons = 300 gallons daily
300 gallons × 11.2 GPG = 3,360 grains daily
3,360 grains × 7 days = 23,520 grains weekly
23,520 grains × 1.20 buffer = 28,224 grains needed
Recommended System: SoftPro Elite HE 48,000-grain capacity

This sizing ensures regeneration every 6-7 days under normal usage, with capacity reserves for high-demand periods without hard water breakthrough.

7. Installation in Pueblo: What to Know

Pueblo does not require licensed plumber installation for residential water softeners, but proper placement and connections are critical for reliable operation at 11.2 GPG hardness levels. DIY installation is legal and common, though many homeowners prefer professional installation to ensure optimal performance from day one.

Correct placement requires installation after the main water shutoff valve but before the water heater and any branch lines to faucets or appliances. This ensures all household water passes through softening treatment before entering the distribution system throughout your home. The bypass valve should remain easily accessible for maintenance and emergencies.

Regeneration requires a drain line connection capable of handling 40-60 gallons of discharge during each cycle. At 11.2 GPG, the SoftPro Elite HE regenerates more frequently than units in soft-water cities, making reliable drain line capacity essential. Most Pueblo installations connect to utility sinks, floor drains, or dedicated standpipes — never to septic systems due to salt content in regeneration discharge.

Pueblo's municipal water pressure typically ranges from 45-70 PSI throughout most residential areas, which suits the SoftPro Elite HE's operating requirements perfectly. Homes in higher elevation areas like Pueblo West occasionally experience lower pressure that may benefit from pressure tank installation, but most city locations provide adequate flow rates for optimal softener performance.

Salt selection matters significantly at 11.2 GPG consumption rates. Use only high-purity evaporated salt pellets for Pueblo installations — never rock salt or low-grade crystals that introduce impurities into the brine system. At Pueblo's hardness level, impurities accumulate rapidly and can clog injector assemblies or foul resin beds. The higher cost of evaporated pellets pays for itself through reduced maintenance and longer system life.

Check salt levels monthly during your first year to establish consumption patterns specific to your household's usage at 11.2 GPG. Most Pueblo households consume 40-60 pounds of salt monthly depending on system size and water usage — significantly higher than soft-water cities but normal for extreme hardness applications.

8. Maintenance Schedule for Pueblo Homeowners

Pueblo's 11.2 GPG hardness accelerates wear on softener components compared to moderate-hardness applications, making proactive maintenance essential for long-term system reliability. This schedule is calibrated specifically for extreme hardness operation and Pueblo's iron-containing water supply.

Monthly Tasks

Check salt level and consumption rate monthly during your first year to establish baseline usage patterns. At 11.2 GPG, consumption is significantly higher than moderate-hardness cities — expect 40-60 pounds monthly for typical households. Inspect for salt bridges, which appear as a hard crust above the water line that prevents proper dissolution and regeneration.

Verify the bypass valve remains in the "service" position and hasn't been accidentally switched during home maintenance activities. Hard water breakthrough from bypass valve issues becomes apparent immediately at 11.2 GPG through returned soap scum and scale formation.

Quarterly Tasks

Clean the brine tank every three months to remove salt residue and any sediment that accumulates from Pueblo's iron-containing water. Test post-softener water hardness using test strips to confirm output remains under 1 GPG — any reading above 1 GPG indicates resin exhaustion, regeneration problems, or potential iron fouling.

If your home has iron pre-filtration upstream of the softener, inspect and replace iron filter media according to manufacturer specifications. Iron breakthrough to the softener resin causes orange fouling that reduces capacity and requires specialized resin cleaning to restore performance.

Annual Tasks

Perform complete brine tank cleaning and inspection annually, removing all salt and scrubbing interior surfaces to eliminate any iron staining or mineral buildup. Conduct a comprehensive resin bed performance evaluation by testing hardness removal efficiency — if post-softener hardness creeps above 1 GPG despite proper regeneration, resin cleaning or replacement may be necessary.

Audit regeneration cycle timing and salt dosage to ensure settings remain optimal for your household's consumption patterns. Usage changes over time, and Pueblo's 11.2 GPG demands precise regeneration scheduling to prevent both hard water breakthrough and salt waste.

Five-Year Evaluation

At the five-year mark, assess overall resin performance and consider replacement if efficiency has declined noticeably. Pueblo's extreme hardness accelerates resin degradation compared to moderate-hardness applications — resin that performs well for 10-15 years in 4 GPG cities may require replacement after 7-10 years at 11.2 GPG.

Tip: Pueblo residents should establish baseline hardness readings before installation and retest 30 days after startup to confirm the system achieves consistent soft water output under local operating conditions.

9. What to Do Next

Start by testing your current water to confirm hardness levels and identify any iron concentration that might require pre-treatment upstream of your softener system. Home test kits provide basic hardness readings, but professional water analysis gives precise GPG measurements and iron levels essential for proper system sizing and configuration.

Calculate your household's grain capacity requirements using the formula from Section 6, then compare your weekly demand to available SoftPro Elite HE capacity options. Don't undersize — at 11.2 GPG, undersized systems fail quickly and waste money through constant regeneration and salt consumption.

10. Homeowner Checklist

Before purchasing any softener for Pueblo's 11.2 GPG water, verify these essential requirements to ensure long-term success and avoid costly mistakes.

• Confirm adequate grain capacity using the sizing formula — minimum 32K grains for most Pueblo households
• Verify NSF/ANSI Standard 44 certification for resin quality and safety
• Ensure demand-initiated regeneration rather than timer-based operation
• Check warranty coverage — minimum 10 years for extreme hardness applications
• Plan drain line installation capable of handling 40-60 gallons per regeneration cycle
• Budget for high-purity evaporated salt pellets — never use rock salt at 11.2 GPG
• Consider iron pre-filtration if levels exceed 0.3 mg/L
• Account for higher monthly salt consumption compared to moderate-hardness cities

11. Recommended Setup for Pueblo

For most Pueblo households dealing with 11.2 GPG hardness plus iron and chlorine, the optimal configuration combines the SoftPro Elite HE with targeted pre- and post-filtration to address all water quality challenges comprehensively.

Primary softening: SoftPro Elite HE 48,000-grain capacity handles 11.2 GPG hardness for typical 3-4 person households with 5-7 day regeneration cycles. Iron pre-filtration: If iron levels exceed 0.3 mg/L, install an iron removal system upstream of the softener to prevent resin fouling and extend system life. Chlorine post-filtration: Whole-house activated carbon filter downstream of the softener removes chlorine taste, odor, and protects plumbing components from chlorine corrosion accelerated by soft water.

This three-stage approach addresses Pueblo's complete water quality profile while maximizing the lifespan and efficiency of each treatment component.

12. 30-Day Action Plan

Week 1: Test current water hardness and iron levels using professional analysis or high-quality home test kit to confirm 11.2 GPG and identify any iron concerns requiring pre-treatment.

Week 2: Calculate grain capacity requirements for your household size and usage patterns, then research SoftPro Elite HE models that meet your weekly demand with appropriate buffer capacity.

Week 3: Plan installation logistics including drain line routing, electrical requirements, and salt storage location. Obtain any necessary permits and schedule professional installation if preferred over DIY approach.

Week 4: Purchase system, salt supply, and any companion filtration needed for iron or chlorine removal based on your water analysis results.

13. Is Pueblo's water at 11.2 GPG dangerous to drink?

No, 11.2 GPG hardness does not create health risks for drinking water consumption. Calcium and magnesium are essential minerals that many people actually supplement in their diets. The EPA does not regulate hardness as a health contaminant — it's classified as an aesthetic and infrastructure concern. However, the infrastructure damage to your home's plumbing and appliances at this hardness level creates significant financial risks that water softening prevents.

14. Will a water softener remove iron and chlorine from Pueblo water?

Water softeners remove calcium and magnesium (hardness) but have limited effectiveness against iron above 0.3 mg/L and no effect on chlorine. The SoftPro Elite HE can handle moderate iron levels, but Pueblo homes with iron approaching or exceeding 0.3 mg/L benefit from upstream iron filtration to prevent resin fouling. Chlorine removal requires activated carbon filtration, which many Pueblo homeowners install downstream of their softener for comprehensive treatment.

15. How much salt will I use per month in Pueblo at 11.2 GPG?

Pueblo households typically consume 40-60 pounds of salt monthly at 11.2 GPG hardness, depending on system size and water usage patterns. This is 2-3 times higher than moderate-hardness cities but normal for extreme hardness applications. A four-person household with the recommended 48,000-grain SoftPro Elite HE averages 45-50 pounds monthly, costing approximately $15-20 in high-purity evaporated salt pellets.

16. Does Pueblo require a permit to install a water softener?

Pueblo does not require permits for residential water softener installation, and homeowners may legally install systems themselves or hire licensed plumbers. However, installation must comply with local plumbing codes regarding drain line connections and backflow prevention. Most installations are straightforward, but homes with unusual plumbing configurations may benefit from professional assessment to ensure code compliance and optimal performance.

17. Final Verdict for Pueblo

Pueblo's 11.2 GPG extremely hard water demands professional-grade treatment, not budget compromises. At this hardness level, untreated water destroys appliances, wastes money daily, and degrades quality of life through poor soap performance and skin irritation. The financial stakes are clear: $1,400-$1,900 annually in preventable hard water costs versus the one-time investment in proper softening equipment.

Iron and chlorine contamination compound Pueblo's hardness challenge in ways that require honest assessment and appropriate treatment. The SoftPro Elite HE Water Softener addresses the primary hardness threat completely while accommodating the pre- and post-filtration that iron and chlorine removal may require. Its demand-initiated regeneration, NSF-certified resin, and 10-year warranty provide the reliability that Pueblo's challenging water conditions demand.

For Pueblo homeowners ready to stop paying the daily hard water tax, the SoftPro Elite HE represents the most cost-effective long-term solution to 11.2 GPG hardness. Check current SoftPro Elite HE pricing and available grain capacities for a Pueblo household — your water heater, appliances, and monthly budget will thank you.

Like the Arkansas River that carved Fountain Creek Canyon through solid limestone, Pueblo's mineral-rich water will inevitably find a way through your home's defenses — unless you give it the professional-grade treatment it demands.