Alamosa residents sue city over tainted water supply

Twenty-nine Colorado families have sued Alamosa over a Salmonella outbreak in the public water supply in 2008.

According to The Denver Post, at least one of the complainants in the lawsuit represents a 54-year-old man who died as a result of the contamination.

It’s believed that nearly 1,300 of 8,900 people got sick from the contaminated water supply. At least 40 percent of the city’s infants got sick from the water.

Public health officials, including Colorado officials, said that animal feces likely contaminated the water.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit believe Alamosa’s resevoir has cracks that can not properly keep contamination from the public supply of water. They claim it hasn’t been cleaned or drained since 1984 and contained more than a foot of sediment at the bottom.

At least 14 plaintiffs represent infants who fell victim to the tainted water. A Colorado law allows each complaint in the case to receive up to $600,000.