Alamosa, Colorado Municipal Water System Salmonella Outbreak
On March 19, 2008, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) issued a bottled water advisory for residents of Alamosa, Colorado, and area residents. The advisory was issued after a Salmonella outbreak was traced to the consumption of water from the Alamosa municipal water system. At that time, 33 cases of Salmonella had been confirmed and were linked to the outbreak; 46 additional cases were pending confirmation and were being investigated.
CDPHE arranged for the Alamosa municipal water system to be flushed and tested to determine when the water would again be safe to drink, and had received 138 reports of illness in connection with the outbreak by March 21. Cases ranged from less than a year old to 89 years old. Seven of 47 persons confirmed ill with Salmonella had been hospitalized. The numbers continued to grow, and by March 24, 216 Salmonella cases had been reported, with 68 confirmed.
CDPHE scheduled for the water system to begin several days of flushing on March 25, 2008. The City of Alamosa was to remain on a bottled water advisory until the flushing process had been completed and the city’s municipal water was deemed safe.