DENVER The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has identified a second chemist who allegedly "manipulated quality control data" in water tests, and has paused water testing at the State Laboratory. The CDPHE made this announcement around 5:30 p.m. on Monday, saying that the department has now temporarily suspended water testing in the chemistry program at the State Laboratory."At this time, there is no evidence of an imminent threat to public health," the department said in a press release Monday. In mid-November, Denver7 Investigates was the first to obtain and report on a third-party review that showed a CDPHE chemist with the State Laboratorys water testing program appeared to have intentionally manipulated data, altering the accuracy of thousands of water tests since 2020. The issue was discovered in December 2023, but no action was taken until February 2024 when the chemist was placed on leave, and the EPA was not informed until April, according to the review. The chemist resigned in May. Denver7 Investigates first learned of this alleged data manipulation through an informed source, who wished to remain anonymous, but was outraged at the states lack of transparency.Denver7 Investigates walks through the timeline for this initial incident in our report below. Colorado state chemist caught manipulating data, impacting thousands of water samples, documents sayAmid the investigation into this issue within the State Laboratorys water testing program, the department found a second chemist accused of the same wrongdoing on Dec. 20. That chemist was put on administrative leave, CDPHE said. The integrity of our laboratory operations is our top priority, said CDPHE Chief Medical Officer Ned Calonge in the press release. We are taking swift and decisive action to address this issue, including fully evaluating the culture and practices of the lab.The CDPHE tests water across the state including for homes for different contaminants, such as metals, disinfection byproducts and radiochemical contaminants, among other things. According to the CDPHE, 69 of the state's systems are impacted by this data manipulation. Calonge told us that CDPHE handles less than 3% of the states water systems for these tests. There are more than 2,400 systems in the state.The department is working with the EPA to determine the next steps, it said. CDPHE has implemented a contingency plan, which is effective as of Monday. As outlined in the press release issued Monday, this includes: Outsourcing: Testing for EPA-certified methods, including metals testing (methods 200.7 and 200.8) and nitrate/nitrite (method 353.2) will be outsourced to commercial, accredited laboratories. Time-sensitive and already-in-progress water samples are being completed under the direct supervision of the Chemistry Program Manager. Internal transfer: Testing for non-EPA regulated methods under the Food Emergency Response Network, including pH and metals, will be transferred to a different accredited CDPHE lab.  Laboratory Response Network Chemical (LRN-C): The State Lab has notified the Laboratory Response Network of its temporary offline status. If needed, testing will be forwarded to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or other Laboratory Response Network-funded state laboratories through mutual-aid agreements. Following the initial incident, Denver7 Investigates spoke with Calonge, who told us that the department's leadership ultimately takes responsibility for what happened. He said CDPHE did not immediately release information about the first chemist's alleged mishandling because it could have caused unnecessary panic about the safety of the water. He added that the delay was also due in part to communication breakdowns, a culture of fear within the agency and a reluctance to report issues, as Denver7 previously reported. You can watch that report below. 'A big lapse in performance': State leaders react to Denver7 investigation into compromised water testsDenver7 Investigates learned through an open records request that the first chemist tested 8,570 samples between 2020 and 2024, including 1,023 drinking water samples."I want to point out that laboratory directors don't think about their employees falsifying results, so we were surprised," Calonge said in November. "It's not something I would have expected, especially knowing the people who work at the laboratory. But having a high level of checks and balances that, going forward, should someone take this route again, we can catch it, is really important."Impacted water systems include: Strasburg Sanitation and Water District Country Gardens MHP Rolling Plains Estates Travois HOA Town of Pritchett Princeton Estates Subdivision Trail West Association 96 Pipeline Co Inc. Rogers Mesa Domestic Water Company Sunshine Mesa Domestic WC Castle Pines North Metro District Cottonwood WSD Chatfield South Water Dist C/O CRS of Colorado Grandview MHP Peyton Pines Filing #4 Water Association Inc. Prairie Estates Town of Brookside OF Town of Rockvale Panorama Ranches HOA Wooden Deer HOA Consolidated Mutual Water Co. Town of Haswell Town of Bethune Town of Vona Windcliff POA Glacier View Meadows W and SA Carter Lake N and S WTP Town of Aguilar Town of Brandon Pinon Water and Sanitation District Santa Fe Trail Ranch Metro Town of Starkville Karval Water Users Inc. Limon Correctional Facility, Environmental Buffalo Hills RV Park Gateway Canyons (RDR Property Services LLC) Hidden Valley Water (RDR Property Services LLC) Town of Nucla Project 7 Water Authority Town of Cheraw Fayette Water Company Town of Manzanola Patterson Valley Water Company South Side Water Association Valley Water Company Vroman Water Company West Grand Valley Water Pitkin Iron HOA Oneal Water Morrison Creek Water and Sanitation District Mountain Mutual Water Company Inverness Water and Sanitation District Cherry Valley Elementary School Franktown Elementary School Sierra Middle School Castlewood Community Preschool U.S. Department of the Army Fort Carson San Juan Ranch HOA Gateway School Plateau Valley School District #50 Camp Id Ra Ha Je Wildwood School GCC Rio Grande Lake Pueblo State Park Signal Mountain Water Company Xcel Energy Hayden Station Riverbend Cabins Telluride Regional Airport Lone Star School