Earlier this month, Midway resident and water quality activist Liz Rosenbaum wrote an email to Colorado politicians, state health officials, Wigwam Mutual Water Company staff and others asking when her home’s tap water would be free of PFAS – a group of industrial chemicals used in a wide variety of consumer products – and safe to drink.
The Pikes Peak Bulletin followed up and learned a study to determine the best filtration system for Wigwam’s water customers will finish in a few months, and then a full-scale filtration system will be installed.
Midway is an unincorporated community in rural El Paso County. PFAS is in the water supply there from past use of firefighting foam at Peterson Air Force Base (now Peterson Space Force Base). PFAS is linked to a variety of serious health impacts including several cancers, decreased fertility and developmental delays in children.
Wigwam Mutual Water Company serves about 1,500 people including the community of Midway. (Because Midway is unincorporated, there is no official population count).
Rosenbaum has been a PFAS activist since 2016 when she co-founded the Fountain Valley Clean Water Coalition, bringing PFAS contamination in southern Colorado into public awareness and policy focus.
Rosenbaum’s concerns, questions
“Recently, I tested our kitchen tap water … using a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Cyclopure test kit, hoping to finally see evidence that our drinking water had become safe,” Rosenbaum wrote. “Unfortunately, the results showed that PFAS contamination remains present in our water.”
The results showed measurable levels of 11 forms of PFAS in Rosenbaum’s tap water. While there are thousands of PFAS variants and not all have regulatory standards, due in part to lack of scientific study, CDPHE noted two forms of PFAS in Rosenbaum’s drinking water that have set standards: PFOA and PFOS.
Measured in parts per trillion (ppt), the drinking water standard for PFOA is 4 ppt; Rosenbaum’s water has 7.3 ppt. The standard for PFOS is also 4 ppt – at 12.7 ppt, Rosenbaum’s water has more than three times that.
Rosenbaum’s home tap water PFAS results
“More than two years ago, a $300,000 grant was awarded to address this crisis,” Rosenbaum wrote in her email. “A pilot filtration trailer was installed next to the Wigwam Water District building, utilizing three different treatment technologies – Reverse Osmosis (RO), Granular Activated Carbon (GAC), and Electrocoagulation – to determine the most effective solution. Despite this investment, residents have received little to no information regarding the project’s status, the effectiveness of the treatment systems, or when safe drinking water can be expected. As of today, my family is still relying on delivered drinking water.”
She continued, “This marks ten years since PFAS contamination was first identified in our community. Ten years of uncertainty. Ten years of bottled and delivered water. Ten years of waiting for the same basic public health protection that larger municipalities such as Fountain, Widefield, Security, and Stratmoor now receive.”
It was 10 years ago that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) significantly lowered its health advisory levels for certain types of PFAS, which led to the re-evaluation of earlier water quality tests. Officials quickly realized the amount of PFOS and PFOA in municipal water systems and private wells in and around Fountain, Widefield and Security dramatically exceeded these revised standards.
In 2022, a study found elevated levels of PFAS in area residents’ blood.
The larger municipalities cited in Rosenbaum’s email already have permanent municipal filtration systems that remove PFAS to undetectable levels.
In 2023, Wigwam selected Moonshot Missions to work on a pilot filtration project.
“Clean drinking water should not depend on a person’s ZIP code, political influence, or the size of their water district. Rural residents deserve the same dignity, respect, and public health protections as every other Coloradan,” Rosenbaum wrote. “I respectfully request answers to the following questions:
- What is the current status of the pilot filtration project?
• What were the results of the treatment testing, and why isn’t this safe yet when other larger areas accomplished this?
• What actions are being taken to provide permanent treatment for Wigwam Water District customers?
• What timeline exists for ensuring safe drinking water for affected residents?
“After a decade of living with contamination, our community deserves transparency, accountability, and action.”
Wigwam says solution in progress
Wigwam’s Lead Water Operator Justin Glasscock told the Bulletin the pilot filtration study will take one year total and is now in its ninth month; it will end in September 2026.
“The EPA is still doing monthly testing of the different filtration methods to ensure we choose the right filtration for our water,” Glasscock said. “Some of the filtration methods are proving to work better than others so we are making great progress on choosing the right one.
“When the correct filtration has been chosen in the next few months as we finish the pilot project, we will implement a full scale filtration system. Wigwam currently offers water pitchers with filters for free to our customers that will remove PFAS for drinking water in the meantime until a full scale treatment facility can be put into place.”
Glasscock noted that “a hard timeline for when a facility will be in place is hard, because the grant/loan/budgeting/construction process takes some time, but Wigwam is actively working every day to accomplish this.”
The Bulletin asked Wigwam about the drinking water notice on its website and if the language was strong enough to clearly communicate the public health risk. The notice includes test data from 2020 and the statement “This is a concern, not a crisis. People do not need to stop drinking their water.” It goes on to suggest that “people who are concerned” can use a water filter for drinking water.
“All data and statements concerning PFAS on the website was given directly from the state and instructed to put on the website,” Glasscock said.
CDPHE says Wigwam should use new statement
CDPHE told the Bulletin, “Wigwam’s 2020 statement on their website reflects accurate public health risk information from that time. Since then, numerous studies and advances in our understanding of PFAS and its public health effects have emerged. And in 2024, the EPA set maximum contaminant levels with a compliance deadline of 2029. Wigwam’s water exceeds those limits. Our current recommended language has changed slightly since 2020. The language we now provide is:
People do not need to stop drinking their water, as the EPA’s maximum contaminant levels are based on a lifetime of exposure. There is no immediate public health risk. However, groups that are more susceptible to the health effects of PFAS exposure may want to consider treating or changing their drinking water source.
“We have been in communication with Wigwam Mutual Water Company officials and have recommended that they update their website language accordingly,” a CDPHE spokesperson said.
At the time of this article, Wigwam’s website still had the old message.
CDPHE also said, “In addition, through our grant program, we purchased water pitcher filters for every Wigwam household. These filters remove PFAS from drinking water, reducing exposure and therefore risk of health effects from PFAS. Wigwam residents should consider using the provided filters for drinking and cooking. That includes more vulnerable people, like pregnant women, older people, and those with chronic diseases. We also offer additional resources to help people further reduce their exposure to PFAS.
“We have funding and technical expertise to help small communities address PFAS by upgrading water treatment infrastructure. In addition to funding the pitcher filters, we’ve awarded Wigwam $300,000 to study permanent treatment options. The study will identify the best approach for Wigwam to remove PFAS from drinking water. From there, they can hire an engineer to help them with the next steps of installing permanent treatment. We are committed to advancing early PFAS exposure-reduction strategies, and we have multiple funding sources to support Wigwam’s permanent PFAS treatment efforts.”
EPA repeals regs, adds funding
Key PFAS regulations were removed by the Trump administration last month. Critics of the regulations’ removal – including Rosenbaum – said it amounted to regulatory backsliding that will increase exposure and risk.
New regulations are reportedly in the works – the Environmental Protection Agency said it will “correct potential failures of the Biden-Harris Administration to follow the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act” and create “rules grounded in gold-standard science and the Safe Drinking Water Act, support for water systems on the front lines, and action to stop PFAS pollution at the source before it ever reaches a tap.”
Along with the regulatory changes, the EPA also announced $1 billion in new funding to states to address PFAS in drinking water with a focus on “small, rural, and disadvantaged water systems.” In Colorado, $44.3 million is available for drinking water systems and private well owners to offset costs of testing, planning, and infrastructure projects addressing PFAS and other contaminants, according to a May 19 EPA statement.
