Widefield talks water concerns: Water filters encouraged

A health advisory about chemicals detected in the water in three southern Colorado communities is sparking a lot of questions.

Members of the Widefield Water District held a public meeting this week, where citizens asked many questions. The most common question asked, was how people can protect themselves.

“You can get an activated carbon filter and a reverse osmosis filter,” said Brandon Bernard with Widefield Water District.

The different filter options cost anywhere from $30 to $500.

“Make sure the filters are NSF (National Science Foundation) approved, and follow all the recommended guidelines when you purchase your filter,” Bernard said.

But the idea of filters isn’t easing everyone’s mind.

“If the water isn’t good enough for infants or pregnant women, why is it okay for the rest of us? I don’t agree with that,” said Connie Gregory.

“My husband is in the middle of a cancer fight, so we need to be concerned about what we put in our bodies,” said Nancy Williams of Widefield.

Water district members say Widefield does not have a higher rate of cancer or developmental issues compared to anywhere else in Colorado.

“Widefield is going above and beyond, we’re improving our blending stations and looking into future treatment options,” said Brenard.

Meanwhile, local water companies are seeing a sudden spike in bottled water sales.

“This is by far the most interest in bottled water that we’ve seen here by far,” said Rick Baker, co-owner of Springs Mountain Water in Colorado Springs.

“We opened on Saturday because of the high demand. Our water comes out to 1 part per million pure H20,” said Baker.

In just two days the business sold one month’s worth of water jugs.