Frisco closes well contaminated with PFAS, state applauds efforts to clear drinking water
This is a complicated story, but it's an important one if you're drinking water in Colorado (as most of our viewers are.)
Frisco recently sent out a note to its residents saying they had tested the drinking water for "forever chemicals" or PFAS in August of 2021. Results showed levels of 4.5 parts per trillion and 11.0 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, two different subcategories of PFAS, neither healthy.
That used to be fine under EPA regulations, saying water systems shouldn't have more than a combined score of 70 parts per trillion of all PFAS. Frisco's tests ends up with around 16, so no real issue, until the EPA moved the goalpost.
Thanks to additional data and better measurable data the EPA is now looking for levels closer to 0.004 or 0.02 for independent PFAS in water. Right now laboratories can only test down to 2 parts per trillion. This is microscopic stuff we're talking about, still it's causing enough concern that the new guidelines were issued.
CBS Colorado Mountain Newsroom Reporter Spencer Wilson spoke with a panel of scientists from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Thursday morning to get some context for the advisory change from the EPA, as well as where Frisco and all of Colorado stands with PFAS in our water.
First off, the ingestion of PFAS has been linked to multiple health issues including but not limited to cancer, birth defects, and immune system deficiency, although that's recorded over long periods of exposure. Information from other communities has helped the EPA see how dangerous PFAS has the potential to be, compared to what levels it used to consider safe.
"We've transitioned from using information based on laboratory tests in animals to using information that evaluates the actual health impacts and communities that have been exposed," State Toxicologist Kristy Richardson explained. "We're learning that these chemicals can have health impacts at lower levels than we previously thought."
Hence, those crazy-tiny numbers like 0.004 and 0.02. But because labs can't even test down to that level, the EPA is basically saying "you'd better not have any in the water, period."
That's not great news for some Coloradans, particularly where PFAS has already been identified in the water systems. CDPHE has said through a grant offered to any water system, around 400 systems tested in the last couple of years for PFAS (accounting for around 80% of the total state population). 100 or so came back with positive identification of one form of PFAS or another, and theoretically have had time to work on a plan to start cleaning up the water for it's customers.
Frisco detailed the steps it plans to take with water engineers running different filter systems through their identified, contaminated well. In the meantime, they have now closed said well until the fix can be put in place, estimated around summer of 2023.
Meanwhile Frisco is making headlines for facing the PFAS issue head on, and CDPHE says it should be commended for facing the truth, even if the outcome is less than perfect. Many of those 100 or so systems in Colorado are likely drastically over the new EPA guideline as well, considering if any value shows up in a test, it will be over the limit.
"Frisco did the right thing by putting out this public information on the situation with their water and the PFOA PFOS where the health advisory went down," State Safe Drinking Water Program Manager Ron Flaco said.
"It's a concern, It's not a crisis. We're not saying that everyone should stop drinking their water."
He added "We do know what those situations look like. When we detect a contaminant that represents an immediate health risk like E.coli, we tell folks, stop, you know, don't drink the water, boil it or get an alternate source," Flaco said. "That's not the message that we have here."
The good news for water systems who haven't tested is that the grant to pay for testing is still available. CDPHE recommended any community who has not taken advantage of that test should do so right away so they know what they are dealing with.
