Residents of Hugo, which has a population of about 800, have been warned not to drink, cook with or bathe in the town’s water for two days – after the chemical THC was found in a well.
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“At this point we’re not taking anything off the table”, Captain Mike Yowell with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office told KMGH.
Commercial marijuana cultivation, product manufacturing, testing facilities and retail marijuana stores are banned in Hugo, although they are legal elsewhere in the state.
The Lincoln County health department said in an alert that residents should avoid drinking, cooking or bathing with the town’s water for at least 48 hours.
The effects of drinking THC-laced water would depend on the concentration, the amount consumed and how quickly it was consumed, and officials don’t yet have that information, Salley said.
The field tests weren’t capable of showing how much THC was in the water, but only whether the chemical was there, he said. However, screening stations are being set up for anxious residents.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department tweeted on Thursday that the water supply in Hugo, Colorado had been tainted with THC.
Some have claimed it is impossible for THC to be found in the water, let alone a unsafe level of it. THC is relatively insoluble in water, and therefore would not mix with the water.
Meanwhile, bottled water is on the way to Hugo. More tests will be performed to verify both the possible presence and the level of contamination of THC. Hugo public works employees found the evidence of “forced entry into the raw water system”, according to a spokesman. The entire county has only 62 medical marijuana patients, according to the state Health Department.
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Patsie Smith, Hugo’s former mayor, said she received a reverse 911-type message shortly after 3 p.m. telling residents not to drink the water because there could be THC in it.
