Fountain, CO – On August 2, 2017, the City of Fountain installed the second Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) Water Treatment unit at Aga Park in downtown Fountain. The unit is one of two GAC treatment systems that were funded and provided by the Air Force as part of their $4.3 million commitment in emergency funding dedicated to utilities (Security, Widefield and Fountain) affected by the Perfluorinated Compound (PFC) contamination.

During initial pilot testing, the GAC treatment system proved to be an effective method for removing the PFCs found in Fountain’s groundwater supply. The first GAC unit Fountain received was installed on June 29, 2017, at a downtown well located near the Fountain Library.  This month, Fountain will complete the commissioning of that unit and begin testing the system on-site. No groundwater will be added to Fountain’s drinking water during testing. Both GAC units are expected to be fully operational before the summer of 2018.

“We’re very pleased to be making progress toward the ability to treat and use our groundwater,” said Curtis Mitchell, City of Fountain Utilities Director. “Our groundwater is a very important resource required to meet the water demands of our growing community.”

In the coming months, the City of Fountain will focus on developing design plans for a permanent, comprehensive, groundwater treatment plant intended to treat all of Fountain’s current, and future, groundwater sources. As the United States Air Force conducts further studies, Fountain will continue to partner with them to understand the impact of PFCs in groundwater sources, and continue communicating expectations of financial assistance.