A chemist at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment CDPHE has been accused of intentionally manipulating data, which affected the accuracy of thousands of water tests conducted since 2020.
Denver7 Investigates uncovered that the state became aware of this issue in December, but a report reveals that poor communication, a culture of fear, and hesitation to report problems delayed the response. These failures have yet to be publicly addressed by state officials.
CDPHE is responsible for testing water across Colorado, including water from 80 local districts, for contaminants like metals, disinfection byproducts, and radiochemicals. The data manipulation specifically impacted tests for metals such as copper, barium, and chromium.
A third-party report found that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was notified about the manipulation in April, more than three months after it was discovered, leading to the revocation of some of CDPHE’s testing certifications. This notification came during the EPA’s regular accreditation process. The chemist involved was placed on leave in February and resigned in May. The issue was uncovered by another state employee.
The report, conducted by Colorado-based Transformation Point LLC, interviewed 22 CDPHE staff members. It found that factors like outdated technology, lack of oversight, resource shortages, and communication problems contributed to the data manipulation. Some water districts were not informed of the issue for months.
Denver7 Investigates obtained a letter from CDPHE to a water district, acknowledging a lapse in quality assurance and invalidating tests dating back to 2020. CDPHE declined an on-camera interview but provided a statement emphasizing that no immediate public health risks were found.
The department also mentioned plans to improve staff training and review quality assurance processes with consultants.