A water fountain in the Stapleton neighborhood has been shut down by the city as a safety precaution after users complained of a “strange odor” and health tests found e-coli.
The Central Park at Stapleton interactive fountain will be closed for the remainder of the 2010 summer season, according to a media release from the Denver Parks and Recreation department.
The fountain was designed for human use and is “fitted with a filtration system that adds bromine and chlorine to the cistern,” the city said. But the filtration system is inadequate and needs to be beefed up.
The parks department consulted with the city’s Department of Environmental Health in coming to the decision to temporarily close the fountain, said Jill McGranahan, a parks department spokeswoman.
The fountain is a popular gathering place to help beat the summer heat, and infants and young children – some in diapers and pull-ups – are among the fountain’s users. Health department tests found trace amounts of e-coli in the fountain water.
“Although disappointing, we feel that closing the fountain now and addressing the potential issues caused by the inadequate filtration system will prevent potential future public health risks,” said Scott Robson, Deputy Manager of Parks and Planning.
Some strains of e-coli can make people sick, causing diarrhea, and more virulent strains can cause serious, or even fatal, illness in the young, elderly and infirm.
The parks department plans to work with Park Creek, the company that designed the fountain, and a pool specialist from the city’s aquatics division to find an alternative filtration system and retrofit the fountain for the 2011 summer season. McGranahan did not have a cost estimate on the retrofit.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
