City officials say they will not start drawing water from the Animas River immediately, despite a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announcement that the water is safe.

The city needs to complete more testing before opening up its intake on the Animas River, said Sherri Dugdale, assistant to the city manager.

The city also plans to wait until irrigation companies have the chance to flush out ditches upstream of the Animas River intake before starting to treat city water, she said.

Right now, the city would like residents to continue to conserve water, she said.

When the city does start drawing water from the Animas, irrigation will be allowed in stages.

Those with gardens will be allowed to start watering first, followed by Hillcrest Golf Course, the Parks and Recreation Department and other large water-users.

The Florida River is the city’s main source of water, and it has been sustaining the city since mine blowout Aug. 5. City tap water remains safe to drink.

As a precaution, the state health department recommends residents test the source of their well water if their wells are within one mile of the Animas River.

The department has no indication the aquifer accessed by private wells has been contaminated, the release said. Residents should not take their own samples because technicians will be sent to sample the water from homes.

mshinn@durangoherald.com