Forever Chemicals
Maybe you're relocating across Colorado and want to know what comes out of the tap when evaluating an address. Maybe you're just the kind of neighbor who likes to know what's in the ground nearby. Either way, the agency you'd eventually call is the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), which runs the state's public-water-supply program. We pulled the federal records so you don't have to chase them down yourself. The figures below come straight from the EPA, the Department of Defense, and the Toxics Release Inventory, presented plainly: no verdict, no scare tactics, just what the public records show when evaluating an address here.
EPA's UCMR 5 program (2021–2024) tested 48 public water systems in Colorado for 29 PFAS compounds; 4 reported at least one detection and none exceeded the 2024 federal limit of 4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS (a 8% detection rate). Detections vary by water system — check the utility serving a specific Colorado address.
In Colorado, the office that watches drinking water is the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), whose Water Quality Control Division runs the state's public-water-supply program. Colorado has been active on PFAS sampling and source-tracing, but on enforceable limits it largely tracks the federal benchmark: residents are covered by the April 2024 federal drinking-water limits the agency administers, rather than a separate, stricter state number. That still gives you a named office and a monitoring program standing behind the figures below.
Numbers below come straight from EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024). Every public water system in Coloradoserving more than 3,300 people had to test for 29 different PFAS — here's what they reported.
48
Water systems tested
UCMR 5 (2021–2024)
4
Systems with any PFAS detected
8% detection rate
0
Systems exceeding 2024 MCL
Above 4 ppt PFOA/PFOS
6
Distinct PFAS compounds detected
Of 29 monitored under UCMR 5
0
TRI-reporting PFAS facilities
EPA Toxics Release Inventory 2024
2
DoD PFAS installations
Military PFAS contamination sites
Red triangles are military installations the Department of Defense has flagged for PFAS from firefighting foam. Orange dots are industrial facilities that reported PFAS to the EPA Toxics Release Inventory. If your future home sits near a cluster, that's a conversation worth having with the seller or landlord.
These are the Coloradoutilities where EPA testing found PFAS the most often or at the highest levels. Being on this list doesn't automatically mean today's tap water is unsafe — some systems have added treatment since these samples were taken — but it means a conversation with the utility is worth having before you move in.
| Water system | Detections | Max value (ng/L) | vs 2024 MCL |
|---|---|---|---|
| TODD CREEK VILLAGE MD | 6 | 0.04 | Below MCL |
| SOUTH ADAMS COUNTY WSD | 3 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| THORNTON CITY OF | 4 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| BRIGHTON CITY OF | 6 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
PFAS isn't one chemical — it's a family of thousands. Here are the specific compounds EPA picked up most often across Colorado water systems. PFOA and PFOS are the two with the strictest federal limits (4 parts per trillion).
For decades the military trained with AFFF firefighting foam loaded with PFAS. It soaked into soil and groundwater and, in many places, traveled miles. If you're house-hunting near any of these Colorado installations, the address report will tell you exactly how close.
Fort Carson
Army
Peterson Space Force Base
Air Force
Looking at a specific Coloradocity? Each page below pulls the same federal data narrowed to that water system — useful whether you're relocating, buying, organizing your neighborhood around getting cleaner water, or just trying to find out what's in the tap and what's around you.
Here's how to read what the records show. The EPA's UCMR 5 round covered 29 PFAS compounds, sampled between 2021 and 2024, and only at public systems serving more than about 3,300 people. So a quiet result isn't a clean bill of health: private wells and small rural systems weren't required to test at all, and a detection logged in 2022 isn't a guarantee about today's tap. CDPHE offers guidance for private well owners, which is worth a look if your Colorado address sits outside a big utility's lines. One caveat about the acronyms: UCMR, MCL, and the rest are their own small dialect, so don't feel behind for needing a translation. As for why military sites show up: for decades, firefighting crews trained with AFFF foam loaded with PFAS, and those compounds don't break down — they seep into groundwater and can travel well beyond the fence line. That's the thread connecting the installations listed above to the water-system data, and it's why veterans and military families often have the sharpest reason to look.
Yes. EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024) tested 48 public water systems in Colorado; 4 had at least one PFAS detection. Detections vary by water system — check your specific serving utility.
Colorado has been active on PFAS sampling and policy, but on enforceable drinking-water limits it largely follows the federal benchmark. In practice, residents are covered by the April 2024 federal limits the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) administers — 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, and 10 ppt each for PFHxS, PFNA, and GenX.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, through its Water Quality Control Division, administers drinking-water rules for public systems and has run PFAS sampling and source-tracing efforts. Its enforceable drinking-water posture tends to align with the federal PFAS rule rather than a separate state number.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is the state agency overseeing public health and environmental protection, including the drinking-water program for Colorado's public water systems. It's the office standing behind the state-level water records you'd reference when evaluating an address.
Use VetMyAddress to see the PFAS detections reported for the public water system serving any Colorado address, alongside nearby military bases and industrial PFAS sources. The data comes from EPA UCMR 5, EPA TRI, and the DoD PFAS installation report.
In April 2024 the EPA set the first enforceable federal limits for PFAS in drinking water: 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, and 10 ppt each for PFHxS, PFNA, and HFPO-DA (GenX), plus a Hazard Index for certain mixtures. Public water systems must complete initial monitoring by 2027 and come into compliance after that.
No. The federal limits apply to public water systems. Private well owners are responsible for their own testing and treatment, which is especially worth doing near a known PFAS source like a military base or industrial site.
State numbers tell you the pattern. An address report tells you what's actually in the water at yourkitchen sink — the matched utility, the PFAS detections on file, and every military or industrial source nearby. Whether it's for your family, your neighbors, or peace of mind.
Data sources: EPA UCMR 5 bulk data · EPA TRI 2024 · DoD PFAS installation report