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Water service to be restored to 8,000 residents affected by intentional contamination

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July 25th, 2014 (InsideCostaRica.com) Officials of the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA) said yesterday that the company was in the process of restoring water service to 8,000 residents of two communities where the water supply was intentional contaminated with toxic chemicals by unknown suspects.

 

AyA said that water service would be fully restored today after tests confirmed that the chemicals have been successfully purged from the water system.

 

An unknown suspect or suspects intentionally dumped large quantities of at least six different toxic pesticides and fungicides into the water system serving 8,000 residents of the communities of Higuito de Desamparados and Copalchí de Cartago.

 

Water service to the communities has been suspended since Tuesday, when the discovery was made.

 

At least eight people were taken to the hospital after consuming the contaminated water, suffering from vomiting, diarrhea, and other symptoms as a result of what community leaders called “act of terrorism.”

 

Authorities have yet to identify any suspects or determine a motive in the case.

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  • expatin paradise

    The poisons may be removed from the water supply, but it invariably remains in the pipes/tubes. Communities will need to run a lot of water through the pipes to flush out the toxins. Individual users will have to do likewise in their homes to get remaining toxins out of the system. Users should use extreme caution for a while. Flushing the system will waste a lot of water. Will the water company/municipality reimburse consumers for the extra water used to flush the toxins from the tubes?

    • disgusted

      Will the water company/municipality reimburse consumers for the extra water used to flush the toxins from the tubes? Easy question NO!

      • expatin paradise

        It was actually rhetorical.

  • turbooperator

    I find it of interest to note that, while 8 (or 10-15) empty containers of pesticides (or fungicides, or herbicides, one of the liter bottles appeared to be generic roundup to me) were found at the site, not a trace of agrochemicals were found in any of the water samples taken. Health officials later discounted the poisonings reported by police as a response to fear after learning of the chemical findings rather than any clinical symptoms.

    • mhogan

      You telling us this is a hoax? No agrochemicals in the water? If residents had gastrointestinal distress, could it be our “price-y” water is a case of neglecting to maintain sanitary standards? So, instead of doing their jobs, the water company (AyA) flitted away their budget and the only way to get funds to clean up their neglect was to proclaim malicious toxins were added by an unnamed or unfound culprit? Why would I not be surprised?

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