Wigwam Water District hands out water pitchers to filter out PFAs

WIGWAM, Colo. (KRDO) - The Wigwam Water District handed out free water pitchers and filters for residents to filter out Polyflueroalkyl Substances, or PFAS. The chemicals have been linked to reproductive health problems and certain types of cancer, among other things, according to the EPA.

It's part of a much larger issue facing America. These chemicals are found in everything from Teflon coating on pans to polyester clothing and certain types of foam used in fighting fires.

Thanks to Senate Bill 20-218, the Wigwam Water District is able to order these filters for its constituents.

That's why Liz Rosenbaum, a member of the Fountain Valley Clean Water Coalition, stood out in the snow today, alongside Keith DeVore, a Water Operator for the Wigwam Mutual Water Company to hand water filters out.

"It's a passion. I have to make sure we have clean and safe drinking water in the entire state of Colorado," Rosenbaum said.

"They're in your clothes, they're in your carpets. They're, you know, [in] Teflon coatings in your pans," DeVore said.

For this rural water district, their systems can't filter out PFAS yet.

"These pitchers have carbon filters in them that take care of the pfabs, and we're giving them to every customer and with a year supply of filters," DeVore said.

It is a temporary solution to a long-term problem. But that doesn't mean they're not working on a way to get these "forever chemicals" out of drinking water for this community for good.

"We've got a system that we're testing that seems very promising and we're just waiting on the state to give us the okay to install it," DeVore said.