April 11, 2008--Alamosa water cleared for drinking after treatment for salmonella (Alamosa News)
State public health officials Friday afternoon announced Alamosa's drinking water supply was safe for use once again after it had been thoroughly cleansed with chlorine to remove salmonella contamination. The water was declared safe at 2:30 Friday afternoon and the Colorado Department of Health announcement was released to the public in Denver by Colorado Governor Bill Ritter. Nearly 300 salmonella cases have been reported since the first instance surfaced on March 7. At least 107 cases have been confirmed and 16 people required hospitalization according to health department records. Residents were told to stop drinking tap water on March 19. Health officials confirmed the presence of salmonella a few days later. Officials began flushing the 50-mile municipal water system with strong concentrations of chlorine beginning on March 25. Residual amounts of chlorine will be left in the system to prevent future contamination.
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