Sprayground illness brings state officials here
Lauren Stanforth
Staff writer
(October 17, 2005) - New York state Assemblyman Joseph Morelle, D-Irondequoit, was meeting with New York state health and park officials today in Rochester, hoping to learn more about the state's investigation into the parasite outbreak at Seneca Lake State Park's Sprayground this past summer.
Morelle was being joined by Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, D-Manhattan, chairman of the Assembly's committee on health. Morelle is chairman of the committee on tourism, arts and sports development.
A Morelle spokesman this morning said the assemblyman wanted to learn whether the state had figured out how the parasite cryptosporidium had gotten into the Sprayground's water system, and what kind of regulations the state was writing to prevent this kind of outbreak from happening again.
The state health department had said it would propose spray park water regulations by year's end.
The state Attorney General's office was joining the meeting. That office is representing the state in at least two class action lawsuits that have been filed on behalf of some of the 4,000 people who got sick with the gastrointestinal illness "crypto" causes.
The parasite, typically found in infected feces, was found in the Sprayground's water tanks in mid-August. The state health department told the Democrat and Chronicle last week that it had not determined yet how the parasite had gotten into the recycling water system. LSTANFOR@DemocratandChronicle.com
