'They clearly made a mistake': Water expert criticizes Colorado agency's response to data manipulation

DENVER A local water expert is criticizing the state agency responsible for water testing over its handling of data manipulation that reportedly compromised thousands of samples.

James Eklund, a prominent water attorney and the former director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board, said the apparently intentional manipulation done on water samples by a chemist with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), as well as the subsequent delays in notification, undermines public confidence in the agency.

Every time we have something like this that occurs, it erodes the public's trust in our institutions, Eklund said.

On Monday, Denver7 Investigates reported on a third-party study into the incident. The report noted that CDPHE learned that one of their chemists had altered critical information, changing the results for thousands of water tests. However, the agency did not take any action until February when the chemist was placed on leave, and did not notify the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) until April.

The impacted samples came from 69 different water districts, according to CDPHE. The testing was to detect certain metals such as barium, copper and chromium. The chemist later resigned in May, and the EPA revoked certain certifications for CDPHEs testing lab.

There was a lapse here, and it was serious, Eklund said. They clearly made a mistake.

Watch the original report in the video player below:

Eklund added that this incident exposed systematic weaknesses, such as outdated equipment, limited staff and inadequate oversight. But possibly more alarming is the slow response from the department and lack of public accountability.

Theres no benefit to keeping something like this under wraps, he said. I'm sure that they're scrutinizing it even more so now that your reporting has brought it to light publicly.

A CDPHE spokesperson provided a statement on Monday that said the agency has no evidence of any acute health risks as a result of this data manipulation.

Theres the old saying, It's not the crime, it's the cover-up," Eklund said. But at the end of the day, if something like this does happen, in order to maintain the confidence of the public, you have to come clean with it, and you have to demonstrate transparent ways you are going to fix it.

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