2024 PFAS Action Plan

Since 2016, Colorado has worked to address the risk from a large group of human-made chemicals in our environment, commonly known as PFAS. When people are exposed to these chemicals for a long time, they may be at higher risk for certain health effects. To reduce new releases of these chemicals and support affected communities, the department created its first PFAS Action Plan in 2019. We continue to address the risk of these chemicals and protect the places where Coloradans live, learn, work, and play. 

This work includes:

• Testing water sources and developing regulations to limit PFAS entering our state waters.
• Creating a takeback program to pay fire departments to safely store firefighting foam that contains PFAS until we can safely dispose of it. Fire departments across Colorado are now using firefighting foam that is free of these chemicals.
• Implementing a grant program to fund water treatment and testing for PFAS.
• Partnering with universities to study health effects and creating maps to share information with the public.
• Exploring options to remove these chemicals from the environment with federal partners, such as the Department of Defense.

The department is now working to get stakeholder input on the draft 2024 PFAS Action Plan to continue our work as a leader among states addressing widespread PFAS pollution. The draft plan has three primary objectives:

• Identify and minimize Coloradans’ exposure to PFAS.
• Assess and provide information on PFAS health risks.
• Limit the amount of PFAS entering the environment and address known PFAS contamination.

The department encourages interested Coloradans to get involved as we finalize the plan. We are committed to informing the public as we work through this process. We will listen to and acknowledge public concerns and provide feedback on how public input influences the final action plan.