Updated 4:45 p.m. -- Peterson Air Force Base near Colorado Springs said Tuesday that thousands of gallons of water containing synthetic chemicals spilled into that city's sewer system.
The 150,000 gallon spill from a storage tank happened October 12. Steve Berry with Colorado Springs Utilities says it entered a wastewater treatment plant.
“In this case for Colorado Springs Utilities water customers, it did not impact our drinking water in any capacity. These are two different, completely separate systems.”
Fred Brooks with Peterson Air Force Base says the concentration of PFCs in the water is unknown
"I think as part of the investigation that will be something that we’ll look into trying to find," he said.
The Environmental Protection Agency has linked exposure to synthetic chemicals called PFCs to low birth weights, and even forms of cancer. The water stored by the Air Force had chemicals linked to a specific type of firefighting foam the military is phasing out.
The Air Force plans to sample groundwater on Peterson Air Force base for PFC contamination later this month.
