Washington County Fair E. coli Outbreak - New York
An E. coli O157:H7 outbreak stemming from a contaminated well at the Washington County Fair in New York in 1999 sickened over 1,000 people, sent 65 to the hospital, and claimed two lives. The outbreak was linked to an unchlorinated well at the Washington County Fair that was contaminated with manure from a barn only 83-feet away. Water from the tainted well was used for drinking, food preparation and hand-washing.