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PFAS Testing and Assistance Program

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Colorado landscape

Test your well, protect your health! 

This is a pilot project serving households in Bailey, CO. If you live in ZIP code 80421 and use a private well, you are eligible for free PFAS testing. 

Getting your well tested is the first step in determining whether there may be a health risk from PFAS. Testing is available as long as supplies last. 

What can you expect during the testing process?

Testing process:

  1. The company providing the tests, Cyclopure, will mail you a sampling test kit.
  2. Follow the directions included with the sampling test kit.
  3. Cyclopure will send a letter with your results approximately two weeks after testing.

Sign up for free PFAS well testing today!
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Privacy

Your privacy is important to us. We’ll post a summary of results for the general area on the CDPHE and Park County websites. The summary will not include personal information or addresses. 

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Background 

Between 2022 and 2023, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment tested groundwater in Bailey (Park County) and detected levels of PFAS over the EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) in 8 of 15 private wells and in the untreated groundwater wells of two schools. The schools already had treatment to address PFAS in drinking water. MCLs are set to reduce the risk of potential health effects from exposure to harmful chemicals. They are enforceable for public water systems under the Safe Drinking Water Act. These testing efforts were small, and more testing will help us to identify and minimize exposure to PFAS in the area. 

The department and Park County are piloting the PFAS Testing and Assistance Program (TAP) in Bailey. This one-year pilot project will offer free well testing for PFAS for Bailey residents (ZIP code 80421). As a part of the project, eligible households can also receive a free pitcher filter. Eligibility is based on income and PFAS levels.

  • Filters meet NSF standards to reduce PFAS levels by >99%. Reducing exposure to PFAS reduces the risk of potential health impacts. 
  • In addition to removing PFAS, these filters also remove several other common well-water contaminants such as heavy metals, E.coli/bacteria, and nitrates. 
  • Used filters can be returned to the manufacturer to be recycled. 
  • An automated reminder for changing the filter. 
  • Using a pitcher filter for your drinking water reduces exposure to PFAS and other contaminants but does not require costly changes to household plumbing. 
  • Please note: These filters will remove naturally occurring fluoride. Talk to your dentist about ways to get fluoride to protect oral health.

Private well owners in Bailey (ZIP code 08421) whose water was tested for PFAS and who meet both of the following criteria: 

  1. The amount of PFOS or PFOA in your well is higher than 4 ppt (parts per trillion, this is the same as ng/L). 
  2. Your household income is at or below 80% of the median income for Park County, shown in the table below. 
Number of people living in the householdIncome
1 person$66,300
2 people$75,750
3 people$85,200
4 people$94,650
5 people$102,250
6 people$109,800
7 people$117,400
8 people$124,950 

Households in Bailey that do not qualify for a free filter can buy the filter system at a 30% discount. That works out to approximately $145 for a pitcher and one year of filter replacements. If you participated in PFAS TAP your results letter will include a discount code.

Different filters remove different contaminants, so we don’t know whether your existing filter will remove PFAS. 

  • When shopping for a filter, look for manufacturers that have demonstrated the water filter can remove PFAS to non-detectable levels. 
  • Reverse osmosis and granular activated carbon filters can remove PFAS as long as you follow filter maintenance guidelines. 
  • The Water Quality Association (WQA) maintains a list of products that are certified to remove various contaminants from drinking water. 
  • Consult with a water quality professional to ensure your drinking water filtration system is appropriate for the contaminants and quality of your water.

At this time, PFAS TAP only provides water filtration pitchers for household use, not whole-house filtration systems. Water pitchers are more efficient than whole-house filtration systems because you only filter the water you intend to use for cooking and drinking which saves money and reduces waste. PFAS do not easily enter the body through the skin, so filtration is not necessary for activities like showering and bathing. 

  • Whole-house filtration systems can be expensive to purchase and install. Furthermore, excessive water use from whole-house filtration systems can lower the water table in an area where a lot of households use them. 

PFAS have been extensively used in consumer and industrial products since the 1950s. The chemicals can migrate into the soil, water, and air. PFAS can come from many sources, and we don’t have enough information to determine the specific source or sources in Park County.

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More information on PFAS

PFAS in Colorado: cdphe.colorado.gov/pfas 

PFAS and your health: cdphe.colorado.gov/pfas-health 

 

Contact

Questions about PFAS TAP? Contact cdphe_pfas-tap@state.co.us 

Questions about PFAS and your health? Contact ToxCall at 303-692-2606 or cdphe_toxcall@state.co.us  

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