Walkerton EColi Crisis Essay Research Paper Residents — страница 2

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very strict and detailed and included the following: Any water given to the customers is to be commercially “bottled” water; All foods (e.g. fruits and vegetables) are to be rinsed or soaked only in commercially “bottled” water; All ice must be made with commercially “bottled” water, or must originate from a commercial ice supply distributor; Employees must wash and rinse the hands in water that has been treated with chlorine bleach and this solution must also be provided in all; Commercial dishwashers can be used provided that the wash water is sufficiently clean and is maintained at a specific temperature; Dishes washed by hand must use the three compartment sink method with proper chlorine amounts; Soft drink beverage lines must be disconnected and bottle or canned

beverages must be used exclusively; Any employee reporting they are suffering from a diarrheal illness must be excluded from work until they are cleared of E.coli; and lastly, signs advising not to drink the tap water must be posted at all sinks. As for houses, many new routines were formed amongst all residents of Walkerton. Simple tasks like washing dishes and food, bathing and showering, brushing teeth, doing laundry and even wiping off counter tops that used to take little time, was now doubled or even tripled in time and effort. With a lot of these, you had the option of either trusting your luck and using the contaminated water or using boiled water. This was the case with washing dishes and clothes, and wiping off counter tops. When bathing and showering, you had the

option of chancing it with the highly chlorinated water or going to an out of town friend or relative. The same was the case for laundry, except their was also the added bonus of an out of town laundry mat. Even a simple task like brushing your teeth consisted of getting out a bottle of water, pouring it into a glass, putting your brush into the glass to wet it, putting on the toothpaste, brushing your teeth and swooshing your brush around in the glass of water. Most of the times the toothpaste still would not come of the brush so you ended up running water over it anyhow. “The PUC’s mandate included providing the people of Walkerton with a continuous and abundant supply of pure and wholesome water.’ ” (Toronto Star, 2) In the following facts all from The Walkerton Story

from The Toronto Star, this statement is profoundly proven wrong: In 1977, A complaint is made about funny tasting water. High mineral content in Well 1 and 2 is discovered to be the reason for this. Well 5 is drilled, but it is built near a barnyard and problems occur and fecal coliform is found. Recommendations are made that the PUC ignores. Well 6 is drilled but it is high in nitrate – which indicated agricultural contaminations. Minor repairs are made to the well. It is later seen to be is an area at “high risk for contamination” in 1986. Well 7 is dug only a few metres from Well 6 and even though provincial rules require a backup chlorinator, only one is installed. E.coli and coliform are found in October of 1995. It is found on an average of five to seven times a year

following this. Tory cutbacks make it impossible for more to be done. Throughout these twenty-one years many warnings were also given to Walkerton which were ignored. In 1977, when drilling Well 5, the driller and the consulting engineer warn that the well is not secure, but it is built regardless. In 1982, when Well 6 is being drilled, a series of warnings about the quality of water seem to have no effect on the PUC. In late 1982, a Walkerton councillor voiced his concern to the PUC. The councillor feared that runoff from cattle farms will flood the wells with bacteria. On January 4, 1983, the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority suggested that the PUC not build beyond Well 6. In 1988, an environment ministry scientist warned that intensive agricultural operations threatened

Ontario’s groundwater. Provincial auditor Erik Peters uncovered the incriminating 1992 report revealing widespread problems in Ontario water treatment plants. After doing a few of his own testing, he found similar results and made suggestions to the ministry who promised “to clean up their act”. Walkerton was told to notify the Owen Sound office as soon as unsafe drinking water is descried in June of 1995. Lastly, on February 6, 1996, Walkerton council was given a proposal from the Ontario Clean Water Agency to run the town’s water and wastewater treatment plants. All the equipment would have been brought up to rigorous standards by the company. For example, backup chlorinators would have been installed at the wells. This proposal was turned down because, according to one