U.S. Water News Online
PHOENIX -- Some water companies are considering chlorinating their supplies following the deaths of two 5-year-old boys that may have been caused by a waterborne parasite.
It has not been confirmed yet whether the October meningitis deaths of the boys is attributable to water supplied by Rose Valley Water Co. in Peoria, but one nearby company has begun chlorinating as a precaution and others in Maricopa County are likely to follow suit.
Maricopa County records indicate 85 of its small water systems do not chlorinate to kill possible contaminants, though local water company officials suggest records are outdated and far fewer companies are going without.
But the fact remains that some companies do not disinfect their water, and customers often are content to avoid the sour taste and foul odor that can accompany disinfection.
``Nobody has convinced me that drinking poison is good for me,'' said J.D. Campbell, president of Sunrise Water Co. in Peoria, which until recently was not chlorinating.
The system, serving 3,600 customers, is just north of Rose Valley Water Co., whose water supply is under a microscope as health experts try to determine if it was the source of the fatal Naegleria fowleri parasite that killed two youngsters.
Rose Valley's system was shut down, and its 6,000 customers were without water for four days as Peoria worked to switch those customers to the city's water system. The national Centers for Disease Control is testing Rose Valley water to determine if the amoebic parasite was present.
While chlorination gives customers added confidence, experts say it is unlikely Naegleria fowleri could migrate from one water system to another t hrough the common groundwater aquifer from which their wells are pumping.
``Nobody has ever found this organism growing in an aquifer before,'' said Will Humble of the state Department of Health Service's Office of Environmental Health. It is usually found in brackish surface waters, and is rare enough that ``it's never been identified as a public health threat.''
The organism's behavior suggests other water companies should not feel threatened by it, officials said.
``The overall message is, we have very safe drinking water,'' said Jeffrey Stuck, who heads the state Department of Environmental Quality's safe drinking water program.
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