Alamosa water system to be cleaned on Tuesday

Officials have decided to start the cleanliness drive of the Alamosa water system on Tuesday. The decision has been taken after the Health Department officials traced the source of bacterial infection to the town’s municipal water system.

Large numbers of people have fallen ill due to salmonella poisoning and seven of them even had to be admitted to a hospital.

The flush which is aimed at cleaning the tainted water system will begin at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

Chief medical officer of the state health department, Ned Calonge, said that it would take at least two-three weeks before the people could go back to drinking water straight from the tap.

The officials have requested the inhabitants of the area not to drink or wash dishes with water from the tap, once the flush has started. Even if it has been boiled, it should not be used. They have also requested the people not to use the water for cooking.

Elaborating on the process, City Public Works Manager Don Koskelin said that 25 milligrams per liter of chlorine will be injected into the system during the flush, whereas the normal level of chlorine used to treat drinking water is between 0.7 to 1 milligrams per liter.

During the flush, young children could also experience skin, eye or other irritation from the chlorine present in the water. Parents have been urged to limit their children's exposure to the city water during this period by limiting their bath time and other measures.

Officials have one more important task to perform. They have to supply clean water to the citizens in the affected areas. For this help has been taken from the water agencies in Denver, Fort Collins, and Aurora.

Hans Kallam, Director of the state’s Division of Emergency Management said that the people could use bulk water from East Alamosa, as it does not have any connection with the city’s water system.

Alamosa has a total of about 8,500 residents. Until Friday, 138 people belonging to all age groups had been reported with suspected salmonella poisoning. Laboratory tests have confirmed the illness to be salmonella poisoning in 47 of these patients.

Investigators have also been focusing on determining reason of contamination. According to Calonge, the contamination could have occurred due to a compromised storage tank. He also suggested a possibility of cross-contamination through contact with a sewage line.

For inquiry, people can contact Alamosa County at 719-589-6639 or the state health department at 1-877-462-2911.