Description: Your water system can easily and effectively spread waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid and E. coli. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention documents more than 22 waterborne disease outbreaks annually in U.S. public water supplies. These outbreaks cause over 10,000 cases of illness. Protecting your water system from these microbial contaminants is a fundamental goal of every water system. In this workshop, we will trace the origins of a water system operators’ battle with bad bugs, from Dr. Snow removing the handle on the Broad Street Pump in London to stop the 1854 cholera epidemic, to modern sanitary surveys and disinfection methods. The goal of this workshop is to make the water system operator aware of the pathways of microbial contamination and to provide low-cost strategies to prevent contamination of their system.
Participants will learn:
· The five most common routes of microbial contamination of a water system
· How to conduct a simple but effective Sanitary Survey on your water system
· The importance of chlorine residual as a low-cost and rapid method of detecting microbial contamination
· How to use operational records to identify water quality problems
Recommended audience: All water system operators, managers, and board members.