Colorado Salmonella Cases Top 200

DENVER -- Laboratory results of the city of Alamosas municipal water system have tested positive for salmonella according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Officials at the state health department laboratory confirmed five out of six water samples taken from various areas around Alamosa tested positive for the bacteria. Presumptive test results from the laboratory at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also are positive. As of 11 a.m. today, 217 cases of salmonella have been reported, with 68 confirmed. The source of the contamination is still being investigated.

Customers who pay their water bill to the city of Alamosa, which includes those in the Bonneyville subdivision, are currently under a bottled water advisory. East Alamosa Water and Sanitation District customers are not affected by the bottled water advisory and will not be affected by the water treatment planned for Tuesday.

City water officials will begin a three-stage water treatment process to disinfect the system and mitigate the problem starting Tuesday morning.

Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment