How Has the Water Contamination Affected You?
June 26, 2008 11:21 am
With the recent water contamination from Greenville Utilities for the whole city of Greenville, how has it affected you and your daily life?
Greenville NC Restaurants have been shut down since yesterday for precaution of the customers. A lot of residents are heading down to Winterville to grab some food. Bottle water is scarce at the stores. Are you taking showers?
Our lives are dependent on water. We have to be thankful that we live in this country that has flowing clean water. When our local water supply is contaminated by Fecal Coliform, it really disrupts our lives. Although it creates a lot of anger toward Greenville Utilities and how this happened, we have to be thankful they caught this right away and are taking the right course of action to clean it up.
Now, let’s hear how these couple of days have been for you. What have you done different to avoid the running water? Are you stocking up on bottled water? Are you still showering?
This is the statement from Greenville Utilities:
Drinking Water Warning
Greenville Utilities Water is Contaminated with Fecal Coliform
Boil Your Water Before Using
Fecal coliform bacteria were found in the water supply today, June 25, 2008. These bacteria can make you sick, and are a particular concern for people with weakened immune systems.
- DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
- Fecal coliforms are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely comprised immune systems.
- The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.
Bacterial contamination can occur when increased run-off enters the drinking water source (for example, following heavy rains). It can also happen due to a break in the distribution system (pipes) or a failure in the water treatment process.
GUC is currently sampling the water system to determine the extent of the contamination and will be performing flushing to clean the lines. Upon the State’s approval, we will inform you when tests show no bacteria and you no longer need to boil your water. We anticipate resolving the problem within 48 hours.
General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791.
For more information, call 329-2160.
Care to comment?