Alamosa starts flushing tainted water system
The Colorado town's salmonella-stricken tap water is being treated with concentrated chlorine and may not be clean for weeks.
ALAMOSA, COLO. — This isolated, agricultural crossroads began to flush its water system this morning with concentrated chlorine in an effort to drive out the salmonella that is believed to have sickened more than 200 people.
That may get rid of the contamination, but for now it has made Randy Wilhelms' hygienic dilemma worse.
Dirty dishes have been piling up in his apartment. For the last week, he has dared take only the briefest of showers; he has sprouted an unkempt goatee because he hasn't shaved. But the added chlorine makes it risky for anyone to come in contact with tap water. Even boiled water will not be safe.
"How do you not shower?" said Wilhelm, 40. "I can't wash my dishes. My house stinks."
The inconveniences are immense in this town of 10,000 or so.
Bottled water is scarce, with most residents relying on public distribution centers. Businesses have closed. Officials say it could be several weeks before the system is cleaned out.
How the water source became contaminated is unclearAlamosa -- in the heart of the vast San Luis Valley, about 200 miles southwest of Denver -- draws its water from deep wells that tap the aquifer directly. Because the drinking water comes straight from the ground, it is not chemically treated.
The first warning of possible salmonella contamination was Wednesday. By Friday, Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. had declared a state of emergency, freeing up $300,000 in funds and mobilizing the state National Guard to help distribute bottled water. On Monday, the first round of tests came back positive for salmonella, a bacterium normally associated with food-borne illnesses caused by raw poultry or eggs.
Salmonella, which can cause fever, stomach cramps and diarrhea, is potentially fatal. Medical officials said none of the patients in Alamosa has been critically ill. They think that 237 people have been affected; 68 cases have been confirmed.
Some residents may have continued to drink tap water after the warnings, said John Pape, a state epidemiologist. "Just because the government tells you not to do something," he said, "doesn't mean you're not going to do it."
It could take several days to flush the pipes, said Alamosa Public Works Director Don Koskelin. "We need to move the chlorine through roughly 50 miles of pipeline," he said.
After that, authorities will have to wait a week for tests to come back before they can declare the water safe to drink.
