High lead levels found at three additional sites

Hospital buildings on Fitzsimons campus are affected

Ivan Moreno, Rocky Mountain News

Friday, November 17, 2006

Elevated levels of lead were found in the drinking water at three additional sites of the Fitzsimons campus, and this time it's hospital buildings that are affected, university officials said Thursday.

Although no current or former patients face a health risk, Aurora Water and University of Colorado officials said in a news conference they will continue testing to try to find the source of the problem.

So far, 13 out of 15 of Aurora's CU Health Sciences Center buildings have shown excessive lead levels in the water tests. Lead was discovered in early October in the oldest building of the former Army hospital base, which is being converted into a health and biosciences hub.

On Wednesday, tests were conducted at three inlets for the hospital buildings.

Two of the sites - an outpatient building and the main water line for CeDAR (a residential treatment center for addiction) and five other buildings - showed lead at 18 parts per billion and 19 parts per billion, respectively.

The EPA deems lead levels in drinking water excessive if they exceed 15 parts per billion.

At the Colonel's Row buildings, two of four buildings also exceeded standard lead levels. One of the buildings showed a lead level of 57 parts per billion, while another showed 400 parts per billion.

Neither of those buildings has housed patients, said Tony Ruiz, vice president for operations and facilities at University of Colorado Hospital.

Dan Mikesell, director of operations for Aurora Water, said the problem is believed confined to the Fitzsimons campus.