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Page 14 Little Digger Tony Ruppert Scholarship Essays 2012 Third Place Scholarship Essay — Surrounded by water with nothing to drink by Jared Johnson of of Lucan, MN As babies we are approximately 75 to 80% water and as we grow older this percentage decreases until the percentage is reduced to approximately 60 to 65% for men and 50 to 60% for women.(ChemCraft, 1998) The human brain is about 85% water and our bones are between 10 to 15% water. What happens when clean water is no longer available? This essay will cover some of the health issues caused by an unhealthy water supply. For the purposes of this essay I will focus on contamination caused by the natural disaster of flooding. Most of us are lucky to have clean water sources at our disposal either straight out of the tap or in the form of bottled water. Something that should grab our attention is the instant request for donations of water after a flooding. Septronics, ® Inc. Junction Boxes, Alarms, Pedestals, & Pump Controls PUMP UP YOUR PRODUCT IN 2013: • Pump Controls with Outside Alarms • Pump Controls with Inside Alarms • Exterior Tank Alarms (Single & Dual) • Interior Tank Alarms (Single & Dual) • Pedestal Junction Boxes • Event Counter Pump Controls • Control & Pump Float Switches www.septronicsinc.com Ph: 888.565.8908 • sales@septronicsinc.com Minnesota Onsite Wastewater Association It seems ironic that people living in a place full of flood water would have a hard time finding water to drink. But just think of all of the possible contaminates in flood water. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) points out many things that could be making the water supply unsafe such as: harmful microbes that come from overflow of privies and septic systems in rural areas; flooded sewage treatment plants in urban areas; animal feces from pets, livestock and wild animals; natural bacteria in the environment; human waste; and dead bodies of both humans and animals. These are generally referred to as biological contaminants. Chemical contaminants such as poisons and sprays used in agriculture and around the home would likely be present. Also making the water unsafe would be, industrial waste and cleaners from factories and businesses, and fuel from the gas tanks of flooded vehicles. (CDC, 2007) Some specific illnesses caused by contaminated water as indicated by the CDC are: 1) Cryptosporidiosis – typically an acute short-term infection affecting the intestines causing diarrhea. 2) Enterovirses – those infected with these types of viruses experience mild flu-like symptoms. On some occasions infected people could develop viral meningitis. 3) Legionnaires’ Disease -- severe form of pneumonia. When Americans think of floods, many of us have the images of the flooding after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In an interview with Science Daily in September of 2005, Ruth Berkelman, MD, Chair of the Public and Scientific Affairs Board of the American Society for Microbiology, said ““Deadly diseases, such as typhoid or cholera, are Surrounded by Water, Continued on Page 15
<strong>Apr</strong>il/<strong>May</strong> 2013 Surrounded by Water, Continued from Page 14 unlikely to break out after hurricanes and floods in areas where these diseases do not already naturally occur.” That said, I believe there are health issues that are caused by the flood waters that have nothing to do with actually ingesting contaminated water. One lingering risk of contaminated flood water is comes in the form of mold. After the flood waters retreat, surfaces that were affected will likely develop mold. Significant exposure to mold can cause allergic illness, asthma, and respiratory infections. Hospitals in the Katrina affected area reported seeing an increased number of patients with allergy and cold symptoms, and doctors had suggested that allergy to the mold and dust circulating in New Orleans was making residents susceptible to respiratory illness. Another health risk due to standing water after a flood is mosquito-borne illness such as West Nile disease. One mosquito-district in Louisiana reported that the number of trapped mosquitoes had increased 800 percent over pre-hurricane levels.(Erickson 2005) However, other researchers observed minimal activity at sampling sites in New Orleans.(Presley et al. 2006) In either case, people appeared to be at additional risk because they were spending extended time outdoors (e.g., relief and remediation operations), and even when they were inside, broken windows and screens did not keep mosquitoes from entering.(Sullivan 2005) A key factor in disease transmission appeared to be missing. The key vertebrate hosts, birds, which are required to transmit and maintain the viral reservoir, were almost nonexistent in these areas, perhaps driven from the area or killed by Hurricane Katrina.(Sullivan 2005, Erickson 2005) In the end, very little mosquito-borne illness was reported. Let’s return our focus to a safe-for-consumption water supply. Restoring a safe water supply after a flood may take a few days to months depending on the size of the flood and the effect to the public infrastructure. During a flood, extensive damage can be done to power plants, wastewater treatment plants, and public sewer systems. I can only imagine the time and effort it takes to repair all of those things to gain a glass of safe drinking water out of a faucet. A little closer to home, I found an article published by the University of Minnesota Extension with steps to take after a flood to disinfect a private well. The article goes on to recommend that you test your well 48 hours after the disinfecting procedure as any bacteria remaining in the system will reproduce and be detectable in a water test after that length of time. Until your well has been tested safe you should boil your water at a full rolling boil for one minute to kill bacteria or use bottled water as a safety precaution. MISSION: Promoting professionalism in the onsite wastewater industry Page 15 As the residents of the Gulf Coast learned so many years ago, and the citizens in the Duluth area experienced just a few weeks ago, life can change with a shift in the wind or an overnight rain storm. Turning on the faucet and getting a clean, safe glass of drinking water simply cannot be taken for granted. We cannot control Mother Nature but we can learn how to protect ourselves and our families from some of the outcomes of these devastating occurrences. The next time I fill a glass with ice and a cool drink of water from my tap I will think about those that have been surrounded by water without a drop to drink. ChemCraft, 1998. Water in the Body. http://www.chemcraft.net/ water.html Center for Disease Control, 2007. Water Contamination in a Hurricane’s Aftermath. http://www.cdc.gov/excite/just_in_time.htm Erickson J. 2005. Mosquito Numbers Explode due to Hurricane Flooding. Rocky Mountain News. Presley SM, Rainwater TR, Austin GP, Platt SG, Zak JC et al. 2006. Assessment of pathogens and toxicants in New Orleans, LA following Hurricane Katrina. Environ. Sci. Technol. 40(2):468-74 Science Daily. 2005. Hurricane Aftermath: Infectious Disease Threats From Common, Not Exotic, Diseases. http://www.sciencedaily.com/ releases/2005/09/050913124923.htm Sullivan MG. 2005. Disrupted ecology may protect La. from West Nile. Family Practice News 35(19) University of Minnesota Extension. 2009. Safe Drinking Water from Wells in Flooded Areas. WW-06213 Darren Flygare Wins 2013 NOWRA National Backhoe Roe-D-Hoe® It was a family affair two times over at the 2013 NOWRA National Backhoe Roe-D-Hoe®, as two sets of fathers and sons took four of the five top places. Darren Flygare of Flygare Excavating of Annandale, MN was crowned the 2013 champion after successfully negotiating the excavator skills competition faster than the other 14 event finalists. Darren (shown at left accepting his $1,000 cash prize) finished four spots ahead of his father Dean, who ended up in fifth place. Earlier this year, Dean was the winner of the Minnesota Onsite Wastewater Association’s Roe-D- Hoe® competition
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