Toxic Chemicals Found in Community Water Supplies South of the Springs

A meeting is scheduled for tonight (July 7) in El Paso Country for residents to learn more about toxic chemicals that have contaminated an aquifer beneath Security, Widefield and Fountain at levels exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommendations, The Gazette of Colorado Springs is reporting.

At issue, perfluorinated compounds – toxic chemicals that may cause low infant birth weight and certain cancers – have been found in the Widefield aquifer. The Environmental Protection Agency suspects those conditions may happen after years of using contaminated water.

Representatives from the EPA, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the Air Force, El Paso County Public Health and local water systems will discuss drinking water in the area and answer residents’ questions, according to El Paso County Public Health.

Meanwhile, state health officials have found elevated cancer rates among residents of the area, but cautioned that there’s no established link between these perflourinated chemicals (PFCs) and the elevated kidney, lung and bladder cancer documented in Security, Widefield and Fountain, The Denver Post reported.

A website established by Colorado’s health department shows three areas along the western edges of Security and Widefield where the water in public systems may exceed the EPA’s recommended levels for the toxic chemicals. Private wells also are at particular risk of being over the EPA’s recommended level, according to The Gazette.

Infants, pregnant and nursing women and women planning to become pregnant who live in those areas may want to switch to bottled or treated water, health officials say.

The three communities are just south of Colorado Spring off Interstate 25. The meeting is from 6 to 8 p.m. in Mesa Ridge High School’s auditorium, 6070 Mesa Ridge Parkway.

Source: http://inewsnetwork.org/2016/07/07/toxic-chemicals-found-in-community-water-supplies-south-of-the-springs/