Safety of the Drinking Water Supply

By Al Vargas

Present and past EID Boards have been negligent in their duty to provide safe drinking water. The safety of our water supply is being comprpomised. My 5-point program to reform EID includes measures to ensure the safety of the water supply.

These are the comments of Dr. David Spath, Chief of the California Department of Health Services (DHS); Division of Drinking Water in response to a DHS investigation of EID's drinking water open storage reservoirs. The report documents through photographs the gross negligance of the EID Board to the drinking water supply and public health. Among the findings of the report is that:

"The presence of animals at these open reservoirs result in the drinking water supply being contaminated by their fecal matter and their dead carcasses."

Evidence of trespassing and use of the reservoirs for swimming was found by the State investigators including beer bottles in and around the reservoir and vomit on the banks of the reservoir. DHS concluded that

"It is not unreasonable to suspect that vandals, especially at times following the use of alcohol or drugs, would intentionally urinate or defecate while swimming or bathing in an open treated drinking water reservoir. Due to the fact that these open reservoirs have no protective covering, they may make attractive targets for vandals and terrorists because chemicals or biological agents can be easily thrown into the reservoir."

Why is the state so concern with EID's open reservoirs and their management? There are a number of serious diseases that are spread through ingestion of contaminated water. These diseases are introduced into water through feces, or body contact of the infected animal or person. Among these diseases are E. coli, cholera, hepatitis A, giardia, and cryptosporidium. In order to protect the public from disease outbreaks, State laws and regulations require filtration and chlorination of drinking water and storage in enclosed reservoirs. Because EID stores the drinking water in poorly managed open reservoirs, there is a high potential for contamination of the drinking water supply. This what the Department of Health Services had to say about EID's open storage reservoirs in response to their investigation of EID's drinking water system:

"These uncovered reservoirs are a primitive and outdated method of storing water...uncovered reservoirs are a serious public health hazard because they threaten the safety of the water supply."

Disease outbreaks from contaminated water occur every year in water systems much more modern than EID's. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) tracks major outbreaks of diseases. The CDC reported a case in 1993 in Milwaukee, where 403,000 people were afflicted with cryptosporidium; 1440 people were hospitalized and scores died. This occurred due to a faulty filtration system in a water system much more moderns than EIDs.

The department of Health Services ordered EID to cover its reservoirs by 2002 and to improve management to reduce the potential for contamination and to inform its water users of the public health threat. EID ignored the order and was subsequently cited. It then mislead the public by hiding the health warnings in the fine print and misleading the public regarding water quality tests. EID claimed that its water supply was safe because it passed bacteriological tests. The fact is that the city of Milwaukee also passed all bacteriological tests during the contamination incidence. EID knows very well that passing these tests does not ensure the safety of the water supply but they choose to mislead the public anyway.

My 5-point program to reform EID includes measures to ensure the safety of the drinking water supply.