Representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency will visit Colorado Springs on Aug. 7 and 8 to hear from community members about perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), toxic chemicals used by the Air Force for firefighting, that contaminated water supplies in Colorado.
Members of the public who’ve been affected by PFCs in their drinking water can sign up online for three-minute speaking slots Aug. 7 between 4 and 10 p.m. A working session, also open to the public, is set for Aug. 8 from 9:45 a.m. to noon.
Both events will be held at the Hotel Eleganté, located at 2886 S. Circle Dr.
The Fountain Valley Clean Water Coalition and Fountain Creek Water Sentinels are among organizations speaking at the Aug. 7 event, says Liz Rosenbaum, cofounder of the coalition.
Rosenbaum says the Clean Water Coalition has been working with the EPA to ensure there’s plenty of time for residents to voice their opinions.
"I absolutely think something good will come out of this," Rosenbaum says.
And tests recently showed PFCs in several groundwater wells that supply drinking water to north metro Denver, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced July 12.
The Denver Post reports that South Adams County Water and Sanitation District officials found levels of PFCs ranging from 24 parts per trillion (ppt) to 2,280 ppt in 12 wells along Quebec Parkway near Interstate 70.
That’s up to 32 times more than the EPA’s current acceptable limit for PFCs, which is 70 ppt.
All together, the contaminated wells in Denver supply water to 50,000 residents across 65 square miles, the Post reports.