Frontier City Re-Opens After E-Coli Found in Water

By Jon Jordan, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- People hoping to get into Frontier City this morning got quite a surprise after learning the park would not be opening on time.

Park officials shut the park down after getting word their drinking water was contaminated with E-coli, bacteria known to cause serious health risks.

The park has re-opened since the drinking water scare, but even though the gates are open, doesn't mean the water is safe.

It turned into a traffic jam as cars of people, many from out of state, learned the hard way that Frontier City would be opening two hours late.

"We were expecting to go," Denise Haney, who traveled from Amarillo, said. "The 4-year-old really wanted to go."

Haney drove with her family all the way from Amarillo hoping to get into the park when the gates opened.

"Disappointed? Yeah, extremely, just seems like something always happens but, yeah, disappointed," Haney said.

"Without any prior notice ahead of time it really puts a damper on our plans," Jason Daugherty, visiting from Bixby, Okla., said.

But out of caution for people like Daugherty Frontier City officials closed the park after the Department of Environmental Quality found traces of E-coli in the park's drinking water.

"If there is E-coli present it doesn't matter how much E-coli is in the water, it can cause adverse health effects," Skylar McElhaney with the Department of Environmental Quality said.

Health effects park officials feel they have corrected after installing new chlorination systems which are designed to destroy bacteria like E-coli which allowed the officials to re-open the park and Frontier City Marketing Manager Andrea Pennock issued this statement:

"Department of Environmental quality is continually working with Frontier City staff to insure the highest water quality for our guests and employees."

But despite the parks re-opening, DEQ has yet to run tests to show the water is clean, which is enough reason to keep some people from coming back.

"How do we know they'll get it all flushed out?" Haney said. "How do we know it's not in other places?"

As for when we'll know when the water is completely safe again, DEQ said they will run tests at some point, but it takes about 24 hours to get those results back. In the mean time, the park is only serving pre-packaged food and bottled water.

DEQ's test results that showed E-coli were present were only done on Frontier City's drinking water. Park officials assure the water rides are safe.