Colorado Town’s Salmonella Outbreak Underscores Importance of Chlorinating Public Water Supplies
Outbreaks of Salmonella — whether from water or food — don’t get much bigger than the one that hit Alamosa, Colorado, last year between March and April.
According to a report by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, contaminated water in the town’s natural municipal water supply sickened up to 1,300 of the area’s 8,900 residents. There were 494 documented cases of illness, including 122 that were lab-confirmed. One person died.
The culprit? Health investigators can’t be 100 percent sure, but their conclusion is that Salmonella microbes from animal feces– possibly bird droppings — seeped into an underground concrete holding tank. The bacteria probably entered the tank through cracks and holes in the concrete, the report said.
The report indicates that Alamosa’s water supply was not chlorinated. Residents had obtained a waiver from the state back in 1974 that allowed no treatment of the water. The report suggests that chlorination would have prevented the outbreak, which resulted in a three-week ban on consumption of city water and the closure of some local businesses.
“This incident further underscores the long-accepted public health benefits associated with disinfecting drinking water,” Colorado water quality program manager Ron Falco told KDRO-TV. “Chlorine is a highly effective means of destroying bacteria such as Salmonella.”
Since the outbreak, Colorado health officials have withdrawn chlorination waivers from 72 municipalities in the state.
To see the full report on Alamosa’s Salmonella water outbreak, click here.
Tags: alamosa, salmonella poisoning
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