UPDATE: Two-month wait for governor’s response ends in Fountain
UPDATE (APRIL 18)
Fountain Mayor Pro-tem Phil Thomas released a statement Thursday explaining his response to hearing back from Gov. Jared Polis’ office regarding the contaminated groundwater situation in the Fountain area.
“His press scretary called me (Wednesday) as I was walking into a meeting at 6 p.m., Thomas said.
Read Thomas’ response below:
“I appreciate the governor’s office finally reaching out to me and look forward to further opportunities for collaboration on this important issue. The City of Fountain has always taken a cooperative, collaborative approach to dealing with the contamination of our citizens drinking water by PFOS/PFOA contaminates, from the very beginning. It is an issue that effects everyone in our local community, including the health and readiness of our military service members and their families who call Fountain home. As a community we are viewed as a national leader on this issue; we want to ensure our governor is informed and current on steps we have taken to address the contamination of Coloradans’ drinking water in our region and ask for his partnership on behalf of our fellow citizens.
“We are always available to speak with the governor and his staff, and would like to invite him to Fountain for a briefing and tour of our water facilities, to see first-hand how we are addressing PFOS/PFOA in our drinking water. We are committed to ensuring the governor has all the information and cooperation he needs to advocate and support his fellow Coloradans. The governor and his staff can count on me to keep my local community well informed of his involvement and actions regarding this very important health and safety issue.
“Over the past several years, the city of Fountain has consistently worked very closely with state of Colorado officials, in particular the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, throughout the process to ensure the safety of our citizens and community. We appreciate the strong cooperation we have had with state officials up to this point and would encourage continued cooperation and coordination. Of course, the governor’s office can play a key role in ensuring this relationship and we encourage them to do so.
“We have cultivated and maintain a positive, proactive and collaborative partnership with the U.S. Air Force, particularly with representatives from Peterson Air Force Base, one of the principal sources of Fountain’s contaminated water. We applaud the Air Forces efforts to help address this issue. Their accessibility and regular communication with us has significantly contributed to our productive relationship. We will do our part to ensure this partnership continues.
“We are also very thankful for strong support from our congressional delegation, as well as our state representatives, who have maintained strong situational awareness of this vitally important issue and maintains consistent communication with the Fountain City Council and city staff. We are hopeful that the governor’s office and staff will provide strong support, as well.
“Our biggest concern is to not let the Fountain Valley Community become another Flint, Michigan. Water contamination can have a tremendous impact on a community’s health, now and potentially in future generations. We need your support to keep this issue in the forefront and moving forward to solve the current problem and prevent potential future problems across the state.”
(PREVIOUS STORY–APRIL 17)
Fountain Mayor Pro-tem Phil Thomas finally has what he’s waited for since mid-February; a response from a request to the office of Gov. Jared Polis.
The question now is will the response be what Thomas wants?
Thomas said he wants the new governor to get involved in resolving the problem with contaminated groundwater in Fountain and neighboring Security-Widefield.
“All I’m asking as an elected official with constituents I answer to, is for the governor to come down and look at our situation and see if the state can help somehow,” Thomas said.
Thomas said his request began in February when he met Polis at a Municipal League meeting in Denver.
“Cities had a chance to talk with him, and I asked him to come down and assess our situation,” Thomas said. “But he said he wasn’t aware of it. So a few days later, I sent him a letter explaining the background of the situation.”
Thomas said he got no response.
“So I sent emails to his assistant that were sent back,” Thomas said. “I checked and the issue was on their end, not on ours. So then I sent him two certified letters that were confirmed as received.”
Still, no response.
Thomas said Lois Landgraf, a Republican state representative for the Fountain area, personally delivered Thomas’ letter to the governor’s office.
Still, no response — until Wednesday when KRDO NewsChanel 13 contacted Polis’ office.
A Polis representative issued a statement explaining that Thomas’ request was sent to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
According to the statement, the health department already is involved in the water situation — by overseeing the removal of toxic chemicals in groundwater from a firefighting foam at Peterson Air Force Base, and learning more about the matter by contacting other facilities that may be at risk of contamination.
The statement also said that Polis supports Fountain’s efforts to seek reimbursement for cleanup costs from the Air Force and the federal government.
The governor’s representative said the Polis administration is still new and sifting through large amounts of messages the offices receives, making it nearly impossible to respond to them all.
Thomas will soon receive a call from the governor’s office, the representative said.
Most affected residents agreed with Thomas that Polis should be more involved.
There have been no specifics given on how many people may be affected by the water contamination, but Thomas said as many as 90,000 people live in, or are served by, the target area.
