State Forces Alamosa To Accept Chlorinating & Testing Of Water
Eight months after the town's public water supply was found to be responsible for a salmonella outbreak that made more 400 people sick and contributed to one person's death, Alamosa, Colorado has reached an agreement with the state Department of Health and Environment for regular testing.
Denver's Channel 7, the local ABC affiliate, says the town and the state agreed last week to a plan that will see Alamosa chlorinating its drinking water and using a sensitive test for organisms. The plan stems from the outbreak of salmonella this spring that spread through the city's tap water system.
Before the outbreak, the city did not chlorinate its water, but now agreed to do so at the rate of 1 to 2 milligrams per liter.
The agreement also calls for at least 10 tests per month of its water for a bacteria found in feces and at least 10 tests every three months for any organisms in the water.
Alamosa's new water treatment plant was in the works before the outbreak occurred. It was constructed primarily because of the town's need to control levels of naturally occurring arsenic.
