March 20, 2008--Alamosa water tainted with salmonella (Denver Post)
An outbreak of salmonella poisoning in Alamosa has been tracked to the city's water supply and has made at least 33 people ill, public health officials said Wednesday. Alamosa residents have been told to not use tap water for drinking and cooking and to switch to bottled water, according to the state Department of Public Health and Environment. Cases began to turn up about a week ago, mainly in people younger than 18, said Alamosa County Public Health spokeswoman Connie Ricci. "Now it's in all ages," she said. In addition to the 33 confirmed salmonella cases, health officials say they are investigating 46 possible cases. Wednesday evening, Ricci was preparing to start a reverse-911 call to all city residents to notify them of the bottled-water advisory. The state health department issued a bottled-water advisory for the town Wednesday after tests showed bacteria were in the city water supply. Most of Alamosa's 8,500 residents use water from the city system, Ricci said. Dr. Ned Calonge, chief medical officer for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said Alamosa uses a deep well that is not chemically disinfected. The system will be flushed and disinfected with chlorine — a process that could take more than a week, state officials said. Chlorination equipment will remain in place after the flushing process.