Alamosa’s water supply — which was tainted last month by salmonella bacteria — could be fit to drink as soon as midweek, said city clerk Judy Egbert.
At least 379 people have had the stomach cramping, diarrhea, fevers and other symptoms of salmonella infection, Egbert said.
Of those, 106 cases have been confirmed with laboratory tests, and 15 people have been hospitalized.
City, state and federal officials flushed Alamosa’s water system with heavy doses of chlorine last month. Since then, none of the tap water samples tested by state officials contained any salmonella, said state health department spokesman Mark Salley.
Egbert said it will be at least midweek before the water can be declared safe for drinking.
Late last month, Mayor Farris Bervig wore a yellow shirt when the water alert went from red — meaning no use of the water was safe — to yellow, meaning short showers and doing laundry were fine. “He’s got a green shirt now,” Egbert said. “We’re all ready.”
