Officials in Baltimore issue a boil water advisory after high levels of E. coli are identified in various neighborhoods, making Charm City the fourth American community to deal with a water system failure this year.
This year, a number of cities, including New York City, Jackson, Mississippi, and Benton Harbor, Michigan, have experienced problems with their primary water systems.
Earlier this week, a boil water alert was issued in Baltimore due to the presence of E. coli. E. coli exposure can cause gastrointestinal distress, including stomach pains, diarrhea, and vomiting.
Baltimore is the most recent U.S. city to suffer problems with its main water system following the discovery of E. coli in its water supply.
Officials in Baltimore are urging citizens to boil their drinking and cooking water after E. coli was discovered in some samples.
Monday, the city’s Department of Public Works (DPW) issued a series of tweets and a press statement notifying people that the bacteria, which is often spread through faecal contact, had been discovered in the Sandtown-Winchester and Harlem Park neighborhoods.
This week, bottled water is being provided at designated sites, with a maximum of three gallons per household.
Intestinal distress can be caused by E. coli contamination, with symptoms including stomach cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, illness produced by the bacteria is typically moderate and resolves on its own; however, in rare circumstances, a potentially life-threatening complication can develop approximately one week after the original infection.
In Baltimore, a public works employee loads a case of bottled water onto a car following the detection of hazardous amounts of E. coli bacteria in the drinking water.
On September 6, 2022, in Baltimore, Maryland, workers with the Baltimore City Department of Public Works give water to city citizens at the Landsdowne Branch of the Baltimore County Library.
The mayor of Baltimore, Brandon Scott, stated at a press conference on Monday that routine testing conducted on Friday yielded a probable positive result.
Scott stated, “We were advised of a suspected positive test result and quickly retested the specimen for confirmation per emergency protocol.” The public was notified after DPW obtained that confirmation.
A positive test result was discovered at the firehouse on Lafayette Avenue and two police buildings on North Mount Street and North Carey Street after water samples were taken at several sites.
Scott continued, “We take this matter extremely seriously.” This is why our operation center is operating at maximum capacity.
The recommendation currently covers around 1,500 residential and commercial properties in West Baltimore, encompassing portions of Baltimore and Howard counties, according to the city.
This map from the Baltimore City Department of Public Works depicts the area where E. coli was discovered in the Sandtown-Winchester and Harlem Park neighborhoods.
Officials in Jackson, Mississippi, have begun distributing cases of water bottles as part of a “massively hard logistical task” last month.
WHAT TO DO IF IN A BALTIMORE E.COLI AFFECTED AREA
Residents and individuals in the impacted area should boil water for one minute before:
Brushing one’s teeth
Fruit and vegetable washing
Making infant food and formula
Making ice
Donating to pets
Cleaning dishes
Food processing
Monitoring symptomatology
If you are an adult, you should contact your healthcare practitioner if:
You cannot hold down liquids for 24 hours.
You have had diarrhea or vomiting for more than two days.
You’re vomiting blood
You are dehydrated if you have excessive thirst, a dry mouth, dark yellow urine or little or no pee, and extreme weakness, dizziness, or lightheadedness.
You observe blood in bowel movements.
You are experiencing acute abdominal pain.
You have a temperature exceeding 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
For infants and children Immediately consult your child’s health care provider if your child:
Having a fever of 102 degrees or more
Appears exhausted or cranky.
Is in considerable agony or pain
Has a bloody stool
Seems dehydrated
‘As a precautionary measure, DPW will sample and survey the neighborhoods in the vicinity of the facilities where the initial sampling was conducted,’ the department tweeted on Monday.
Currently, the impact is limited to the facilities named above, and they have been instructed to utilize water solely for flushing.
Residents in the affected areas are advised to boil their water for one minute before using it, emphasizing that boiling and bottled water can be used to brush teeth, wash produce, make food, and feed pets.
Baltimore is the most recent city in the United States to receive a water system advisory.
After storms last week, portions of Detroit were under a boil water advisory, while Jackson, Mississippi has been under one since July due to catastrophic floods.
Jackson ran out of water at the end of last month, leaving 180,000 residents unable to drink from their taps, flush toilets, or shower.
The ailing OB Curtis water plant in Jackson was shut down due to recent flooding, which wrecked backup systems designed to alleviate the aging plant’s primary treatment equipment.
Officials began distributing cases of water bottles in a’massively hard logistical task’ as the capital metropolis of 150,000 people and 30,000 outlying municipalities were compelled to save their supplies.
The city of Jackson had been under a boil-water alert since July, when the water quality started to decline.
According to the Mississippi State Department of Health, residents of Jackson were instructed to boil their water for one minute before using it to cook, drink, create ice, brush their teeth, or wash dishes.
Governor Tate Reeves of Mississippi stated during a news conference on Monday that the state will examine a variety of long-term options in an effort to improve the city’s primary water supply, which has been an issue for a long time.
It may take up to four months to fix the water treatment facility.
The larger of Jackson’s two water treatment plants is located near a reservoir that provides the majority of the city’s water supply. The reservoir is also utilized for flood control.
The city’s water system has had troubles for a long time. Pipes that froze during a 2021 cold spell left a considerable number of people without flowing water. Early in this year, similar problems recurred on a smaller scale.
Two years ago, severe rain forced the river to rise to a height of 36.7 feet, flooding the hardest-hit neighborhoods of Jackson with murky, snake-infested floodwaters.
Water is delivered to the campus of Jackson State University on September 2, after the city of Jackson, Mississippi, United States, remained without a dependable water system.
According to MLive.com, dangerous lead was discovered in the drinking water in Benton Harbor, Michigan, causing it to go below the legal safety level of 15 parts per billion.
On September 6, 2022, workers from the Baltimore City Department of Public Works provide water to city residents at the Landsdowne Branch of the Baltimore County Library.
In 2020, the Pearl River achieved its third-highest peak on record as a result of days of unrelenting rainfall. The last time the river was this high was in 1983, 37 years ago.
Last week, arsenic-contaminated water was discovered at the Riis Houses in the East Village of New York City.
The mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, was unhappy that he was not informed of the presence of the drug in the drinking water sooner.
Friday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams distributes water bottles at the Jacob Riis Houses of the New York City Housing Authority in Manhattan.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams was dissatisfied that he was not informed sooner that the drug had been discovered in the drinking water at the NYCHA Jacob Riis Houses complex in the East Village neighborhood.
HOW TO PREVENT EXPOSURE TO E.COLI
BEFORE PREPARING OR EATING FOOD, WASH HANDS THOROUGHLY AFTER USING THE BATHROOM OR CHANGING DIAPERS AND BEF
WASH YOUR HANDS after coming into contact with animals or their environs (at farms, petting zoos, fairs, even your own back yard).
MEAT must be fully COOKED. Ground beef and meat that has been needle-tenderized must be cooked to at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Color is not a particularly good indicator of ‘doneness,’ hence it is advisable to use a thermometer.
AVOID raw milk, unpasteurized dairy products, and unpasteurized juices (like fresh apple cider).
AVOID ingesting water in lakes, ponds, streams, swimming pools, and backyard “kiddie” pools when swimming or playing.
PREVENT cross-contamination in food preparation areas by cleaning hands, countertops, cutting boards, and utensils thoroughly after touching raw meat.
The mayor told the New York Daily News on Friday, ‘I learned. We are conducting an investigation to determine when the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) became aware of the incident, as notification should have been a natural progression.
The Democrat, who has struggled to fulfill his vow to reduce crime in the city, must now deal with high concentrations of a toxic chemical in a housing complex where almost 4,000 New Yorkers reside.
According to the CDC, arsenic in water can cause nausea, vomiting, and dehydration, and long-term exposure can lead to skin problems and even cancer.
Households of the Riis Houses were warned not to drink the tap water, and city employees, including Adams, provided free bottled water to residents on Friday.
A representative for Adams stated that’more precise’ testing of the water at the facility revealed no increase in arsenic levels.
Lutvak continued, ‘While these results are encouraging, the health and safety of New Yorkers is our primary priority, which is why the mayor has mandated more testing to ensure the water is entirely safe to drink. We are currently awaiting test findings for more than one hundred additional delivery places.
It appears that the whole ordeal has been a communication breakdown, as The City reported that NYCHA officials took two weeks to tell people the arsenic had been discovered, a charge they disputed.
According to MLive.com, dangerous lead was discovered in the drinking water in Benton Harbor, Michigan, causing it to go below the legal safety level of 15 parts per billion.
State officials ascribed the drop in lead levels to work to optimize anti-corrosion treatment at the city’s drinking water plant.
This is good news and a sign that Benton Harbor’s drinking water system will remain stable as the city expedites these vital infrastructure improvements. Director of EGLE’s drinking water division Eric Oswald stated.
Oswald added, ‘However, today’s news does not diminish the importance of our ongoing efforts to assist the city in proactively decreasing lead exposure through lead service line replacement and corrosion control treatment.’
The state has been sending residents bottled water for months and will continue to do so until April 2023, when all the city’s lead pipes are due to be replaced.