Expert says cryptosporidium was gone before hyper-chlorination

The “hyper-chlorination” performed in late August in Lawrence pools probably didn’t kill the cryptosporidium thought to be in them, an expert said Thursday.

Steve Upton, a Kansas State University biology professor who has studied the parasite, said hyper-chlorination killed bacteria in the water — but not crypto.

Jimmy Gibbs, the city’s aquatics supervisor, disagreed, saying the Aug. 22 action taken at two city pools and pools at Kansas University, Alvamar and Haskell Indian Nations University was recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The parasite “absolutely” was eradicated from the pools, he said.

“I don’t know what information he has that isn’t available to the CDC,” Gibbs said.

Upton disagreed.

“I think that’s what the CDC told them to do,” he said. But regardless of the hyper-chlorination’s efficacy, the parasite was probably already gone from the pools.

“By the time they notice this in people, weeks have gone by,” Upton said. “The parasite’s probably gone, been filtered out, or through a change of water.”