What Salem’s contaminated water means for pregnant women, nursing moms

Low levels of toxic algae have been discovered in Salem’s drinking water, prompting officials to issue an advisory that parents should not give tap water to children under 6 years old.
Health officials warned pregnant women, nursing mothers and children under the age of 6 to not drink or cook with tap water.
Three toxic algae blooms discovered in Detroit Lake led to the detection of high concentrations of the liver toxin microcystin and cylindrospermopsin on May 25.
Four days later, the city issued an alert warning of the unsafe drinking water.
If they develop these symptoms, they should let their health care provider know, but, she warned, there are no tests available to screen for exposure and no specific treatment.
"Out of an abundance of caution, we are exercising precautions and only using bottled or filtered water for our patients and families."
Berman said nursing mothers who ingest the toxin could pass it to their infants through their breast milk.
Berman said the toxins might also have an impact on developing fetuses.
10-day exposure period City officials said they wanted to be proactive by warning people within the 10-day exposure window.
Still, he warned, people at risk should not be cavalier about the warning.

Poland students provide drinking water to Kenyan communities

Poland Central School District Kids Against Pollution, Poverty and Prejudice club members string beads together for a project with Just One Africa that will help supply clean drinking water to people in Kenya.
“It makes me feel happy and grateful.” Poland students in the school’s Kids Against Pollution, Poverty and Prejudice club worked on the bead project after school.
The project is done through nonprofit organization Just One Africa’s “Beads for Water” program.
As the bracelets are sold, 100 percent of the profit goes to Just One Africa’s clean water program.
For every five bracelets sold, Just One Africa can purchase a clean water filter for the Kenyan communities.
Elementary students in the club then did the stringing of the beads along with the organizers.
“I’m glad to see the kids having so much fun, and we’re actually helping people, so it’s really cool.” Lynch said she is happy that the club was able to take on a global-level project and that the students’ effort will have an impact on African people getting drinking water.
“We’re helping impoverished people in Africa get clean water they don’t have access to.” Fourth-grader Trent Hobin, 10, said doing the project is stopping people in Africa from having to drink dirty water with diseases in it.
“It seems pretty fun, and I’m helping the African people,” she said.
It feels pretty good on the inside because knowing I can help others is honestly pretty cool.”

Salem’s water contaminated by toxic algae: What we know

Low levels of toxic algae have been discovered in Salem’s drinking water, prompting officials to issue an advisory that parents should not give tap water to children under 6 years old.
Statesman-Journal Salem residents are being advised not to drink tap water in Salem after low levels of toxins were discovered in the city’s drinking water.
Other affected cities include Turner, Stayton and six other communities, mostly in the Santiam Canyon.
“We’ve had no reports of health impacts so far,” said David Farrer, with the Oregon Health Authority.
“In all these cases, the concentrations have been below the threshold for adults, but above the threshold for younger kids."
How did Salem’s water get contaminated?
Detroit Lake’s water feeds into the North Santiam River, which becomes the Santiam Canyon and City of Salem’s drinking water source.
What are the symptoms of toxic algae contamination?
Drinking water containing cyanotoxins at levels exceeding the national drinking water Health Advisories can put people at risk of various adverse health effects including upset stomach, vomiting and diarrhea, as well as liver and kidney damage, according to the advisory.
Officials said to seek medical attention if you or family members are experiencing illness.

Why were two emergency alerts sent out about Salem’s contaminated water?

Within 20 minutes, a second alert was sent saying there was a drinking water emergency for the Salem area.
Cory Grogan, spokesman for the emergency agency, said the initial wireless alert was sent without the proper information for the public to act.
The first alert said: "Emergency Alert: Civil Emergency in this area until 11:28PM PDT Prepare for Action OEM,1,OR" The alert was sent far beyond the area affected by the city of Salem’s recent water advisory, with members of the public up and down the Willamette Valley reporting that they received the alert.
Officials say they are working to understand why the initial alert was sent out without proper messaging.
Bottled water: Shortages in Salem follow report of toxins in tap water Toxins in water: Salem drinking water contaminated, children shouldn’t drink tap water The emergency management office issued a statement about the alert Tuesday night: "The alert, which was requested by the City of Salem to alert local residents about a drinking water advisory, defaulted to ‘civil emergency’ verbiage.
Yamhill County officials tried to assure residents that they were not affected by the water quality alert.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office issued a similar statement on Twitter urging residents not to call 911 regarding the alert.
He suggested that when alerts go out, people should prepare for additional information to follow unless they have immediate emergencies that require a 911 call.
Larson said the city was working to get its website back up.
Results confirmed the presence of cyanotoxins in the drinking water at levels above acceptable limits for children and those in compromised health.

Salem Drinking Water Contaminated; Stores Running Low On Bottled Water

Salem, Oregon – A health alert for young children or anyone with a vulnerable immune system: do not drink the tap water in Salem.
The city of Salem says boiling the water will not work, it could even make these toxins worse, and to use bottled water for drinking.
Read more from the City of Salem about the not drinking the tap water: City of Salem: CYANOTOXINS PRESENT IN DRINKING WATER DO NOT DRINK THE TAP WATER — MAY 29, 2018 INFANTS, YOUNG CHILDREN AND OTHER VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS Applies to City of Salem, City of Turner, Suburban East Salem Water District, and Orchard Heights Water Association WHY IS THERE AN ADVISORY?
To ensure the greatest quality of drinking water, City of Salem voluntarily samples for such toxins during algal events.
Levels of toxins have been detected in the City of Salem water system that supplies water to City of Salem, City of Turner, Suburban East Salem Water District, and Orchard Heights Water Association.
Do Not Drink the tap water.
City of Salem will post an updated advisory when: the Cyanotoxin levels are less than or equal to the national drinking water Health Advisories, this Do Not Drink Advisory is lifted and/or if there are any changes to the conditions of this Do Not Drink Advisory.
Updates will be provided Thursday, May 31, 2018 via the City of Salem web page, CityofSalem.net; City of Salem Alert System; local media; City of Salem social media.
More on the alert sent out: Do Not Drink the Tap Water Applies to City of Salem, City of TurnerSuburban East Salem Water District and Orchard Heights Water Association The advisory: Low levels of cylindrospermopsin and microcystin (cyanotoxins) have been found in treated drining water.
Levels of toxins have been detected in the City of Salem water system that supplies water to City of Salem, City of Turner, Suburban East Salem Water District and Orchard Heights Water Association.

Salem drinking water contaminated, children shouldn’t drink tap water

Low levels of toxic algae have been discovered in Salem’s drinking water, prompting officials to issue an advisory that parents should not give tap water to children under 6 years old.
People with compromised health and immune systems also are being told not to drink tap water.
Salem-Keizer Public Schools will offer bottled water for students who are pre-K through first grade, district officials said Tuesday afternoon.
Bottled water will not be provided to schools in Keizer because the city’s water comes from a different supply and is not be affected.
They will start by delivering to elementary schools, then middle and high schools for self-contained classrooms with medically fragile students, the teen-parent program, and so forth, she said.
Affected communities Detroit Gates Jefferson Lyons Mehama Mill City Salem Stayton Turner The toxins originated with algae blooms first detected last week in Detroit Lake.
Salem’s drinking water was tested May 23 and 25.
Downstream, in the North Santiam River, tests also revealed elevated levels of toxins.
It’s unclear exactly why algae blooms always seem to pop up this time of year at Detroit Lake, but Hillwig suspects it has something to do with Detroit Lake raising its water level to the summertime "full pool."
Drinking water containing cyanotoxins at levels exceeding the national drinking water Health Advisories can put people at risk of various adverse health effects including upset stomach, vomiting and diarrhea, as well as liver and kidney damage, according to the advisory.

Time to Pass Safe & Affordable Drinking Water Fund Legislation

Opinion Kuyler Crocker 300 California Communities Have Contaminated Water Too often, residents who help produce our food can’t drink their own local water without getting sick fearing serious illness.
In roughly 300 communities across the state, contaminated water has forced schools to turn off faucets and residents to buy bottled water for drinking, cooking and washing.
Solutions would be quickly forthcoming, regardless of the cost.
Residents Pay Utility Bills & Still Must Buy Bottled Water Even without access to clean water from the tap, customers still pay their monthly utility bill.
Some families in these communities pay up to 10 percent of their income for water when one accounts for both monthly bills and purchased water.
The creation of a Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund would secure an ongoing funding source that would allow smaller systems to deliver clean, safe and affordable water to customers, no matter their location or size.
Jerry Brown then gave the effort a boost earlier this year by allocating $5 million for startup funds in his state budget proposal and making a commitment to introduce a trailer bill.
Every water system in California would soon deliver clean, safe and affordable drinking water to consumers.
They are determined to work together to make the universal right of safe drinking water a reality in every California community.
At the state Capitol in Sacramento, a bipartisan alignment of legislators has been working to make the fund a reality.

Non-potable wastewater reuse will alleviate water scarcity, says EU

New measures to facilitate non-potable wastewater reuse for agricultural irrigation will alleviate water scarcity concerns, the European Commission has announced.
The new regulations allowing non-potable wastewater reuse will create a sustainable supply of water for agricultural irrigation, while also protecting the environment and consumers, and avoiding the ongoing concerns posed by water scarcity.
Because of changing weather conditions, global warming and other factors, water scarcity is a growing concern, particularly affected by unpredictable weather patterns and severe droughts.
Further, one third of land in the EU is affected by water stress all year round, meaning that demand outpaces supply.
The commission estimates that water reuse in the EU today is far below its potential, despite being more cost-efficient and causing less environmental impact than extracting and transporting fresh water.
What measures have been proposed?
How will the proposal impact the EU water sector?
European Commissioner for the Environment, Karmenu Vella, hailed the new commission proposal as a vital effort to reduce the environmental consequences caused by the water industry in Europe.
Vella said: “This proposal will create only winners – our farmers will have access to a sustainable supply for irrigation water, our consumers will know the products they eat are safe, and our businesses will see new opportunities.
The biggest winner of them all will be our environment as the proposal contributes to better management of our most precious resource – water.”

Is Michigan’s Ambitious New Drinking Water Rule Enough to Protect Communities From Lead?

Seems like Michigan learned its lesson on lead exposure after what happened in the city of Flint.
Since 2014, Michigan’s been dealing with the fallout of a water contamination crisis that exposed Flint, a city of nearly 100,000, to drinking water whose lead levels were nearly double the federal action level, which is 15 parts per billion (ppb).
Michigan’s new rule would drop that action level to 12 ppb by 2025.
Under Michigan’s rules, this action level triggers corrosion controls to treat the water and an eventual service line replacement if that doesn’t solve the problem.
“Full lead service line replacement is critical for public health,” said Elin Betanzo, the found of Michigan-based Safe Water Engineering, to Earther.
“[The government] should be replacing the water lines—not just in Flint,” Brown said.
Brown emphasized that even the replacement of all lead service lines doesn’t guarantee safe drinking water.
In Flint, the pipes weren’t exactly the issue.
Brown wants the public to know that line replacement “is a good idea, but that doesn’t mean that you’re done.” “When we are saying there is no safe blood lead level in children, we have to be serious and remove all sources.” It’s also important to note that paint, the main source of lead exposure for children, is something this new rule does not deal with at all.
The way Brown sees it, states (and the federal government) need to deal with all these sources.

Western province’s problems being addressed but issues still remain

Published at 6:00 pm
Speaking to Post Courier yesterday, North Fly’s Nomad Primary school headmaster Mr Noah Dustin said that the people living along rivers and tributaries were still suffering from the ill effects that were wrought in the aftermath of the May 27 quake.
Mr Dustin said that emergency response efforts from the emergency controller Dr William Hamblin and his team are most appreciated and commendable but brought out the fact that there was still a dire need for access to clean water and food.
“The disaster is a natural event and we cannot blame any human or entity for the negative effects it is having on communities.
“I am only bring to your attention the needs we still have because I feel that our needs are being overlooked somewhat as bureaucrats sweep our needs under the APEC rug,” the headmaster said.
He said that many of his students have stopped attending classes because they need to help rebuild gardens and hunt in the deeper parts of the forest to find an alternative source of protein apart from fish.
“Although fish can now be caught, they are scarce and most families still go without fish or protein for weeks,” said Mr Dustin.
Emergency controller Dr Hamblin said last week that restarter kits have been sent out to affected areas and that sixty one water tanks are in the process of being sent to certain parts of Western Province to ease the water woes.
Dr Hamblin said that so far, 56 metric tons of rice, 22 metric tons of canned tuna, corned beef, noodles, flour, assorted cases of cooking oil and salt and 20 cases of water have been dispatched to the main stations of Western Province like Nomad.
Mr Dustin said villagers have adapted to the circumstances and accepted that the mud contaminated water is not likely to clear up for another few months.