Neighbors in a Douglas County community are worried about the safety of their drinking water. It's happening in Perry Park, an unincorporated community west of Larkspur, which is home to natural red rock formations. The area's geology is naturally rich in minerals, including radium.
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Radium is a radioactive metal and has been linked to cancer. However, it is naturally occurring and the EPA allows small levels in drinking water. But a sample taken from Perry Park's water back in August was more than twice that limit.
Perry Park neighbors are thirsty for answers, after receiving a notice in early October from the Perry Park Water and Sanitation District, stating that radium levels in their water are three to four times higher than normal.
"I've been trying to find answers out for weeks now," said Perry Park resident Hannah Lofland.
Perry Park gets their water from a groundwater well system. The EPA requires Perry Park's water district to sample water for radium four times a year. The water district says they took a sample on August 14, the results came back on September 5 with a radium level of 12.9 picocuries per liter. The EPA's limit for drinking water is 5.0 picocuries per liter.
A month later, neighbors were notified of the result.
"I don't know what's right, what's wrong," said Lofland.
Lofland has an immunocompromised son with special needs.
"What can we do to protect him and ourselves?" asked Lofland.
She's scared and frustrated by a lack of clear information from the water district. She says she called the district to get answers about what she should do and didn't receive them.
"She just said, 'Well, I'm not a doctor, I can't tell you what to do.' I said you got to be kidding me. 'Are we supposed to move? Should we go somewhere different for a while? Is it that bad?' 'Well, I don't know,'" said Lofland.
The notice states neighbors don't need to take any action but should contact a doctor if they're concerned. Lofland said her son's doctor recommended only bathing him in the water in ventilated areas and not watering plants with the water. While the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says it's safe to wash clothes and dishes with the water, they recommend making sure dishes are fully dry before eating off them.
According to CDPHE, drinking water at radium levels above 5.0 over many years increases the risk of cancer and can have negative effects on the blood, eyes, and teeth. The department says residents don't generally need to transition to bottled water in this situation, but say, "If you have specific health concerns, you may want to use bottled water or an alternative drinking water supply if your drinking water has elevated combined radium levels."
Boiling water does not remove radium, so Lofland has begun purchasing jugs of water.
"We bought a bunch of spouts from Amazon so we can give even the dogs the water."
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Michael Gerstner, engineer for Perry Park Water and Sanitation District, says the high sample could be caused by high groundwater levels, a problem at the treatment plant, or other factors.
"It's really hard to tell why radium levels would jump up so high out of the blue like that," Gerstner said.
"Does that mean potentially these neighbors have been drinking this high-level radium water for months?" CBS Colorado's Olivia Young asked.
"You know, that's a question I don't know that anyone can answer. It's hard to know what the radium levels were during times you don't sample," Gerstner answered.
Prior to the high sample, the previous one was collected on May 22, 2024 had a radium level of 3.4 picocuries per liter.
Once the water district got the results of the August sample, they took a second sample in September.
"Once they got that test result, they didn't know if it was a real test result because they have never seen anything that high before, so they immediately did another sample. It was sampled on September 13, received those test results on Oct. 24 and that combined radium level was 5.6 picocuries per liter," Gerstner said.
The radium level is half that of the first sample, but still slightly higher than the EPA limit.
The water district says they've made treatment modifications at the facility, increasing a chemical to remove radium from water. They took another sample in October and are waiting on that result.
The district said in a statement, they are focusing resources on "additional testing and treatment associated with correcting the radium violation, as opposed to distributing bottled water or compensating individual Customers for in-home filtration systems."
If the problem persists, they can take additional steps with CDPHE approval.
CDPHE shared the following comment about the situation, and some resources for residents.
"In September 2024, the Water Quality Control Division notified the Perry Park Water and Sanitation District of a radium violation. This type of violation requires that the district notify its water consumers of the situation and provide them with the potential health effects.
"The division is actively working with the district to help. As stated in the consumer notification, the violation occurred after a high sample result from August 2024. Compliance with the radium standard is based on an annual average of quarterly results. 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. 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.
"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. The division has guidance to help the public better understand the impacts of radium in drinking water. Please see our Drinking Water Consumer Information and Data website for more information. We also have a helpful Radium in Drinking Water FAQ and Fact Sheet for both consumers and drinking water systems."
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