The city of Boulder has been battling complaints of water contamination issues for the past decade. Water contamination is an issue that extends outside of the Boulder bubble, and is one that historically has not been politically prioritized. Is the water safe to drink and consume? How will these chemicals affect the health of my family and me? Will these chemicals have harmful future effects?

The fear of contaminants in the drinking water began in 2006 when local scientists noticed an odd phenomenon emerging within the Boulder Creek ecosystem. A massive study was launched around the issue of “fish feminization,” the process that causes male fish to develop female reproductive characteristics. These characteristics can turn these fish intersex, meaning they possess both male and female genitilia.

According to a study conducted by the University of Colorado’s Integrated Physiology Department, this phenomenon was a result of chemical contaminants present in the Boulder water source. The main chemical detected was ethinylestradiol, a female hormone used in contraceptives. Ethinylestradiol, or estrogen mimickers, is also commonly found feminine cosmetic products. It acts as a hormone disrupter and as a result, these male fish will not only produce sperm but also egg ovum.

These estrogen-like chemicals were found in 80 percent of the local water sources near and around the Boulder-Denver area. The ratio of male to female fish was one in five, and the population of intersex fish was exponentially increasing. The lead scientist of the study, Dr. David Norris, stated “these fish are a wake-up call to make a change in the way the city of Boulder deals with water contaminant issues.”

This estrogen was sourced from birth control and cosmetic treatment plants. Additionally, the harmful chemicals can be sourced from products that were flushed down household toilets or drains. While most water treatment plants would filter out these hormone disrupters, the Boulder Water Treatment plants failed to do so. This put many environmental Boulderites on edge.

The water contamination issues do not stop here. Water contamination has been a recent point of contention when public water utility tests revealed contaminated water west of Boulder in 2018. In a recent study conducted by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, perfluorinated chemicals, or PFCs, were detected at levels higher than the minimum risk levels (70 parts per trillion).

PFC contamination of well waters around two local fire stations seven miles west of Boulder were found to hit as high as 1,200 parts per trillion. The area is home to about 500 people. Additionally, flowing water currents can wash these harmful chemicals to other areas around the map.

These PFCs can cause a variety of health problems, such as low birth weight, early puberty, diabetes and obesity. Exposure to multiple PFCs can also lead to liver problems, enzyme imbalances, and increased cholesterol leading to heart disease. Some PFCs are even linked to forms of cancer.

Environmental advocacy groups expressed extreme dissatisfaction with the continual discouraging results concerning water safety in the Boulder area. “Future plans are designed to delay effective regulation of these dangerous chemicals in our drinking water,” said Food and Water Watch’s executive director. Additionally, she noted that “the big winners today are polluting corporations, not the people affected by this industrial waste in their drinking water.”

Recent efforts to filter out harmful chemicals have been considered below satisfactory for most residing in the area. Plans for future comprehensive water contamination testing were put into motion but are not yet finalized. Boulder homeowners are feeling discouraged that the issue is not high enough on the political agenda nor receiving the recognition necessary to make progress on the issue.

Given Boulder’s history on water contamination, this issue clearly demands more attention through political and legal action. Citizens are demanding that state officials do more to protect people and their health. This includes strengthening water contamination regulations, mitigating current PFC and ethinylestradiol contamination in the water, and being fully transparent about future pollution issues. Liz Rosenbaum — founder of the Fountain Valley Clean Water Coalition — believes Boulder government officials need to be more transparent and proactive about contamination issues at hand. “We hate being in the dark,” she was quoted as saying in the Denver Post. “We want stronger regulations and to feel like our health is protected and prioritized.”

As the Boulder public, we deserve to know.

Sophie Gabler lives in Boulder.