FOUNTAIN — U.S. Air Force contractors on Thursday delivered the first of two $400,000 carbon filters designed to strip away two perfluorinated chemicals contaminating city water supply wells.
Fountain ranks among the most-populated sites around the country and in Korea where the granular-activated-carbon filters are being installed as the Air Force investigates perfluorinated chemicals, or PFCs, spreading from bases, including Peterson Air Force Base east of Colorado Springs.
PFCs have been linked to health harm — low birth rates, and kidney and testicular cancers — but public health epidemiological work in Colorado hasn’t been done.
“We’re a public water system making sure we meet the regulations, even the health-advisory level.
Fountain shifted city supplies to surface water sources after contamination was detected last year at levels above the EPA limit of 70 parts per trillion.
But nearly 80,000 people in Fountain, Security and Widefield, as well as other communities south of Colorado Springs, long have relied on groundwater as a primary source of drinking water.
Air Force engineers currently are focused on removing PFOA and PFOS.
When system operators detect a contaminant “breakthrough,” one tank still filters out contaminants while carbon in the first tank is replaced.
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment officials regard PFOA, PFOS and PFHpA as chemicals of concern but say there’s not enough scientific data on other PFCs, such as PFHxS.
“It will depend on how often we have to use it to meet peak demand.” Water restrictions last summer reduced water use so that surface water sources met most of the demand.