Home Page >> Emerging Issues >> Salinas Valley E. coli

Salinas Valley E. coli Contamination

In the wake of the E. Coli outbreak that resulted in the destruction of spinach crops in California's Salinas Valley it appears that the bacterium is so pervasive that almost every waterway in the valley is in violation of national standards. An environmental scientist at the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board in California has stated that many of the water sources coming into the Salinas Valley watershed have generic E. coli and may carry the E. coli strain linked to the spinach food poisonings.

Federal officials are focusing on farms in San Benito, Santa Clara and Monterey counties as investigators confirm the suspicion that the tainted spinach originated from the California Central Coast. The Salinas Valley in Monterey County is a major supplier of spinach and lettuce.

Although the actual source of the E. coli contamination has not been pinpointed, tainted water is believed to be responsible. Many waterways near the spinach fields in the Salinas Valley region are known to contain the E. coli strain from the food poisonings. Many growers in the area could be at risk of crop contamination from waterway runoff in the urban areas and livestock operations nearby.

E. coli Spinach in the News

OCT-30-06: Wild pigs now suspected in deadly e. coli tainted spinach crops in the Salinas Valley. [ORLANDO SENTINEL: E. COLI SPINACH]

OCT-16-06: Salinas Valley spinach farmers releived as e.coli outbreak is linked to a single ranch in which the cause can be eliminated. [CATTLE NETWORK: SALINAS E. COLI SPINACH]

OCT-12-06: E. coli tainted spinach linked to cattle ranch adjacent to Salinas Valley spinach fields. [MERCURY NEWS: SALINAS SPINACH]

SEP-17-06: Second company now linked to e-coli outbreak linked to spinach. [NEW YORK TIMES: E. COLI SPINACH]

Register your Salinas Valley E. coli complaint

If you or a loved one has become ill due to injesting e.coli infested spinach, you may qualify for damages or remedies that may be awarded in a possible class action lawsuit. Please click the link below to submit your complaint to a lawyer for a free evaluation.