Radium contamination found in Douglas County community's water system
KDVR Fox 31
PERRY PARK, Colo. (KDVR) — Residents in the Perry Park Metro District near Larkspur are without safe drinking water after being notified by the sanitation district on Sept. 5 that test results showed an extremely high level of radium in their system.
“I'm concerned that people are going to be getting sick later down the line,” said resident Mary Lussier.
Radium is a natural mineral that can seep into groundwater wells. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment told the FOX31 Problem Solvers “radium in drinking water above the maximum contaminant levels presents a chronic health risk to some people who drink the water over many years, and it might include an increased risk of getting cancer.”
Residents have been advised to temporarily utilize bottled water.
“You can take a shower as long as you keep your mouth closed,” said Lussier.
The water district is directing all customers to the CDPHE information document for radium in drinking water.
FOX31 received a statement from the district outlining steps being taken to address the issue and a commitment to keep residents informed about testing and progress.
“The Perry Park Water and Sanitation District (the “District”) complies with all Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment standards and requirements for community water systems, including regularly testing for radium," the water district said. "Although this situation is not an emergency, as our customers you have a right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we are doing to correct this situation.”
The Problem Solvers asked the engineering company hired by the District about what is being done to return the water’s quality to public health standards.
Michael Gerstner of TST Infrastructure told the Problem Solvers the staff has increased the amount of a specific chemical at the treatment plant and is taking other steps to quickly reduce the radium levels.
One challenge is determining the cause of the increase in radium levels.
“We don’t know if water within the ground suddenly came from a different spot and then that caused the radium to suddenly spike up a little higher,” said Gerstner.
A district statement states the water was sampled again after adjustments were made at the treatment plant on Oct. 15, but results can take several weeks. CDPHE is monitoring the effort and issued this statement to FOX31.
“The District collected an additional sample in September, which was lower. Once the District formally submits that result to the division, the system will no longer be in violation," CDPHE said.
"However, we will require the system to continue to provide samples each quarter, and we will continue working with the district to stay on top of the situation. Another sample was collected in October, and that result will help further assess the situation. The district is also working with an engineer to fully evaluate the water system," CDPHE continued.
Lussier and other residents spending hundreds of dollars on bottled water and filtration systems want to know if they can be compensated by the district. A response issued to FOX31 explained that financial constraints only allow funding for the effort to lower the radium levels as quickly as possible so everyone can return to having safe, clean water.