By Robin Widmar
PFAS chemicals were detected at Drake Lake and all three Antler Creek locations sampled near Falcon, according to a report released by the Colorado Public Interest Research Group (CoPIRG) Foundation, Environment Colorado Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group.
The report revealed results of a study that found PFAS in 63% of 16 Colorado testing locations sampled from 2022 through 2024. The study, “PFAS in America’s Rivers and Lakes,” covered 40 states and drew on information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s national Water Quality Portal. Researchers identified as many as 18 PFAS compounds at one or more water testing locations in Colorado. However, the extent of PFAS contamination may be understated in the report because it did not include all sources of PFAS testing data and many waterways have not been tested.
PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, refers to a group of synthetic chemicals used in a variety of consumer products and industrial processes. Often called “forever chemicals” because they persist in the environment, they can be found in everyday products including nonstick cookware, food packaging and waterproof clothing. The chemicals can enter waterways through industrial and wastewater plant discharges, sewage sludge spread on farmland and firefighting foam.
Research has linked PFAS to health risks including reduced fertility, developmental delays in children, compromised immunity and some cancers, according to the CoPIRG Foundation press release. This is not the first time that PFAS has been detected in El Paso County, as increased levels of PFAS were previously found near Peterson Air Force Base, which used firefighting foam containing PFAS.
Colorado lawmakers began restricting some PFAS uses in 2019, starting with certain firefighting foams. Subsequent bills addressed consumer products such as carpets, food packaging and outdoor apparel.
The organizations behind the report are calling for PFAS to be phased out of consumer products, especially where safer alternatives are available. They also want to limit industrial PFAS discharges and end the use of PFAS-contaminated sewage sludge on farmland.
