Colorado to receive over $41 million to fund PFAS treatment systems to meet new national standard

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)- Wednesday, the Biden-Harris Administration issued the first-ever national, legally enforceable drinking water standard to protect communities from exposure to harmful PFAS, also known as ‘forever chemicals.'

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), exposure to PFAS has been linked to deadly cancers, impacts to the liver and heart, and immune and developmental damage to infants and children. This final rule represents the most significant step to protect public health under the EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap. The final rule will reduce PFAS exposure for approximately 100 million people, prevent thousands of deaths, and reduce tens of thousands of serious illnesses, according to the EPA.

There are different requirements for certain PFAS chemicals, according to the EPA:

• EPA is setting enforceable Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) at 4.0 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, individually. This standard will reduce exposure from these PFAS in our drinking water to the lowest levels that are feasible for effective implementation.
• For PFNA, PFHxS, and “GenX Chemicals,” EPA is setting the MCLGs and MCLs at 10 parts per trillion.
• Because PFAS can often be found together in mixtures, and research shows these mixtures may have combined health impacts, EPA is also setting a limit for any mixture of two or more of the following PFAS: PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS, and “GenX Chemicals.”

KRDO13 reached out to Colorado Springs Utilities about this historic new standard. The utility provided us with the statement below:

Colorado Springs Utilities prioritizes safe, quality drinking water for our customers and we are prepared to meet all current and future monitoring standards for PFAS compounds to stay ahead of potential health risks. Beginning in 2020, we voluntarily tested for the PFAS compounds in the EPA’s new ruling and our data meets the standards for these compounds. We have not detected any PFAS compounds at levels that warrant additional treatment of our drinking water at this time.

To ensure the safety of our water, we conduct more than 400 water quality tests monthly to meet federal and state standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). We share those results in our annual Water Quality Report. Our next report will publish this June.

We look forward to learning more about additional funding available to offset the considerable costs borne by drinking water providers for testing and treatment of PFAS compounds -- chemicals introduced into the environment through consumer products. It’s important to get factual information. Colorado Springs Utilities has PFAS information available at csu.org, which includes links to the EPA and Colorado Department of Health & Environment websites.

As for Peterson Space Force Base, where many of these problems have originated, they issued the statement below Wednesday.

“On April 10, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a final rule on drinking water standards for certain PFAS under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The Department supports EPA’s development of a nationwide drinking water standard for PFAS that applies to everyone.  DoD has been preparing to implement the final rule for both our on-base DoD drinking water systems and within our cleanup program.

For systems where DoD provides drinking water, the Department has collected the necessary sampling information and is taking actions to ensure compliance within the required 5-year timeframe.

DoD remains committed to fulfilling our PFAS-related cleanup responsibilities and will take necessary actions to implement the rule, in accordance with the federal cleanup law, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). 

The Department has reviewed existing PFAS sampling results, will be expanding existing cleanup investigations, and providing drinking water treatment for impacted off-base wells, on a prioritized basis.  Since a significant number of additional wells will require treatment, DoD will first prioritize locations where known levels of PFAS in drinking water from DoD activities are the highest.  To expedite implementation of more enduring solutions, the DoD will focus on installing treatment systems, such as whole house filters.

DoD follows CERCLA, as amended, and long-standing Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations for all chemicals in DoD’s cleanup program, including PFAS. DoD has been making significant progress collecting information about its PFAS releases at more than 700 military installations across the country. The DoD PFAS website (www.defense.gov/pfas) offers additional information about DoD’s actions to investigate and clean up PFAS resulting from DoD activities, DoD PFAS policies, DoD PFAS Task Force, DoD PFAS community outreach activities, and PFAS research and development efforts.”

Stephen Brady
Peterson Schriever Public Affairs

Water systems everywhere will have until 2029 to comply with the new standards. 

To learn more about this new standard, click here.