BURNEYVILLE, Okla. (KXII) — One Oklahoma school has been without drinking water this week, due to possible contamination at their middle school.
"It’s kind of crazy that this would happen, I don’t know how it would happen," parent Ashley Welch said.
Welch lives across the street from Turner Schools, where her three children attend classes.
On Tuesday the Department of Environmental Quality discovered an incorrect bleaching agent was used in the water well.
As a result, Superintendent Burl Solie said the drinking water was immediately shut off, and cases of bottled water were provided for students and faculty.
"I am glad they are taking the steps they are taking, by providing water for them to drink," Tanya Manning, who’s great granddaughter also attends Turner Middle School, said.
"They’re doing what they can to make a difference."
She says mistakes happen, and she has faith in the administration.
"They’ll use something else in the future."
Solie said the problem has since been corrected with the proper bleach, and water should be drinkable again on Monday.

Securing access for all would go a long way in reducing illness and death, especially among children.
“Since 2000, 1.4 billion people have gained access to basic drinking water services, such as piped water into the home or a protected dug well.
In 2015, 844 million people still lack a basic water service and among them almost 159 million people still collected drinking water directly from rivers, lakes and other surface water sources.” says United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
In an effort to help address the challenge of accessing clean and safe drinking water in Freetown, EcoBank Sierra Leone over the weekend donated eight 5,000ml water tanks to schools in Freetown.
The donation of the water tanks to eight vulnerable schools in the municipality according to Aina Moore, Managing Director, Ecobank is part of the fifth celebrations of Ecobank day through needs assessment in the various schools.
With the theme “safe water, healthy living” Moore underscored the importance of water to the survival and development of children.
Moore continued that without water, the lives of children are at the risk stating that most diseases common among children are related to water and sanitation challenge.
Ecobank she noted strives at improving the living standard of people especially in communities they exist, adding that since the establishment of Ecobank Day, the bank has undertaken development steps in addressing most common challenges.
Access to clean and safe drinking water is a huge challenge in most schools the head teacher pointed out, and the effort by Ecobank in reaching vulnerable children with clean water will not only help promote the wellbeing but also push the holistic development of the country.
By Sylvia Villa Comments are closed.

“We are still on a precautionary boil water advisory, since 2008,” Maracle said noting the measure was implemented by Health Canada almost a decade ago.
“We have to service the community with an alternate water supply.
There are about 318 homes connected to the Deseronto system.
“Water holding tanks have been an interim measure until the water lines are built.” Maracle will be looking to the government for additional supports to complete the $5.5 million water tower project he champions as the solution to ensuring the entire community can have dependable supply.
The total cost of the tower and water line service extensions will be at least $16 million.
With more than 60 communities still turning to alternative water sources, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has pledged to eradicate all drinking water advisories in First Nations communities by March 2021.
“There is often blue-green algae that forms along the bay, so people can’t use drinking water from shore wells and we have 102 wells along the Bay of Quinte,” the chief said.
Budget 2016 included a commitment of $1.8 billion over five years, beyond existing spending, to help achieve that goal.
MP Mike Bossio lauded the chief for pushing the federal government to implement change.
The federal government has allocated $145,000 to address infrastructure work such as digitizing water meters and engineering studies for watermain expansions, and have earmarked $2.5 million (of a $7 million project) to facilitate expansion of the Deseronto plant, which services a segment of the reserve.

Ever stopped to wonder how crucial it is to have access to clean drinking water?
In rural areas alone, 63.4 million of our fellow citizens live without access to clean water—more than any other country in the world—according to Wild Water, State of the World’s Water 2017, a new report by WaterAid, a global advocacy group working to improve access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene.
Sukruth Krishna Kumar (Class 12) and Suprith Krishna Kumar (Class 9) from The International School Bangalore (TISB) and Tarun Kumar Reddy (Class 12) from Canadian International School came together to ensure that about 150 families (approximately 500 individuals) in Hegganahalli have access to clean drinking water.
“A 5-rupee coin gets you a can of clean drinking water,” said Sukruth to the Bangalore Mirror.
The money collected goes to the zilla panchayat for the unit’s upkeep.
“When we went to the village with my family, we saw that the water was not clean.
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These three students hope that this act of theirs proves to be an inspiration to other students.
After few hits and many misses, they thought that the best course of action was to set up a charitable trust by themselves.
The boys also hope that their efforts will inspire others like them to take up such initiatives.

Residents of Abosomtwe Agya, a suburb of Konongo in the Ashanti Region, who hitherto battled with water scarcity can now heave some sigh of relief following the provision of potable drinking water by Engage Now Africa, a non-governmental organisation.
The community with a population of over 5,000 has been depending on a polluted river as a source of drinking water and for other purposes including farming.
Residents also compete with animals for the same source of water.
Running water carries mud and other debris including human excreta into the river especially when it rains exposing residents to skin and water-borne diseases.
Addressing a gathering to commission a mechanised borehole for the community, Country Director for Engage Now Africa, Cecilia Amankwah, said it was part of the NGO’s service to humanity to ensure that everyone gots potable drinking water.
She thanked its donor partners who have been supporting their projects over the years.
‘’Our main vision is to help uplift, deliver and to heal our African brothers and sisters through education, medical services and also eradication of modern slavery.
A leader of women group in Abosomtwe Agya, Madam Martha Afiriyie, said the project will increase the use of clean water for drinking and food preparation and awareness of good hygiene practices by children and families.
He noted that the provision of potable water to the community would make it easier for teachers and nurses to accept postings to the area to improve the educational and health status of the people and reduce the long distances children had to walk to get water.
He urged members of the community to improve their participation in the ownership and maintenance of the facilities through community sensitisation, mobilisation, training in water maintenance and hygiene to ensure its sustainability.

It does not come as a surprise anymore that the state of drinking water in the country is deplorable.
A study released in August highlighted the alarmingly high levels of arsenic — way above the WHO recommended level of 10 microgammes per litre — in the country’s groundwater putting lives of over 60 million people at risk.
Add to that the mismanagement of the authorities concerned, such as the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB).
A report published on Dec 21st in this paper states that over 30 public-sector colleges are being supplied unsafe potable water.
The issue surfaced after laboratory tests of water samples collected from 136 government colleges in the metropolis were conducted by the education department.
While the chief minister of Sindh has expressed his dissatisfaction over the matter and ordered to replace water lines in Karachi, it is going to take a considerable amount of time before the system is completely overhauled along with ensuring the efficiency of the KWSB.
Karachi’s water emergency has been an ongoing issue that successive governments have been unable to solve, as theft and wastage are major reasons for the city’s water woes coupled with dumping of industrial and solid waste in fresh water sources and mixing of sewage and clean water due to poor infrastructure.
These issues only lead to further widening the divide in the country’s social structures, where government college students are left with unsafe potable water.
In the wake of these, it is important that pragmatic steps are taken to cater to the emergency in the short term as well as long term.
This could be done by providing public-sector colleges with safe potable bottled water in the short term and involve independent experts to work with the government to solve the issue in the long term with a thorough action plan.

By measuring biological markers of exposure and health indicators in a sample of approximately 200 people who consumed contaminated water, this study will provide communities and scientists with an improved understanding of the biopersistence and potential health impacts of AFFF-derived poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs).
PFASs are a class of chemicals widely used in industrial and commercial applications since the 1950s.
In July, a nine-month U.S. Air Force study verified that firefighting foam used at Peterson Air Force Base contaminated groundwater and soil with PFASs at levels more than 1,000 times an Environmental Protection Agency health advisory limit for similar chemicals.
"This research will contribute to our understanding of the factors driving this unique exposure and how it may affect long-term health," said Dr. John Adgate, chair of ColoradoSPH’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and principal investigator of the study.
While exposure to PFASs has been significantly reduced due to work by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the local water utilities, our hope is that by gathering data on blood levels shortly after people’s peak exposure we can provide better answers on related health effects and potential next steps."
Currently, little is known about the health effects of human exposure to PFASs in areas with drinking water contaminated by AFFF, and no systematic biomonitoring has been done in these communities.
"Because we suspect that any health effects are likely related to peak blood levels, it is important to collect the blood data and health effect information as soon as we can," Dr. Adgate said.
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Upon Indigenous Services Canada’s recommendation, Mishkeegogamang First Nation in Ontario lifted a long-term drinking water advisory on December 19.
On December 20, a second drinking advisory that had been in effect since July 28, 2017 was also lifted.
We are determined to work with partners to ensure that all First Nations communities enjoy accessible, clean drinking water."
The Honourable Jane Philpott Minister of Indigenous Services Quick Facts As part of its plan to improve water and wastewater infrastructure at Mishkeegogamang First Nation, the Government of Canada invested $388,000 to support repairs to treatment processes including a replacement of nano-filters, as well as other work on electrical and mechanical systems.
Between November 2015 and December 2017, 31 long-term DWAs were lifted on public water systems financially supported by Indigenous Services Canada through the work done in partnership with First Nation communities and partners.
Twenty-two drinking water advisories were added during that same time.
Indigenous Services Canada is working to address both at-risk and long-term drinking water advisories affecting public systems financially supported by the Department.
There are currently 68 long-term drinking water advisories affecting public systems that receive financial support from Indigenous Services Canada.
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SOURCE Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada For further information: Andrew MacKendrick, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Jane Philpott, 819-956-5372; Media Relations, Department of Indigenous Services Canada, 819-953-1160

In Illinois, all school buildings constructed prior to January 1, 1987, must have every drinking water source tested for lead prior to December 31, 2017.
(225 ILCS 320/29).
A school building is defined as any building (or portion of a building) that may be occupied by more than 10 children or students, pre-kindergarten through grade 5, under the control of a school district or a public, private, charter, or nonpublic day or residential educational institution.
The law requires testing for lead at each source of potable water, meaning where there is non-bottled water that may be ingested by children or used for food preparation, such as taps, faucets, drinking fountains, wash basins in a classroom occupied by children or students under grade 1, or similar points of use.
School buildings constructed after January 1, 2000 are excluded from the potable water testing requirement, as well as bathroom sinks and wash basins used by janitorial staff.
If any of the samples taken in the school buildings exceeds 5 parts per billion, the School District or Chief School Administrator, or their designee, must “promptly provide an individual notification of the sampling results, via written or electronic communication, to the parents or legal guardians of all enrolled students and include the following information: the corresponding sampling location within the school building and the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s website for information about lead in drinking water.” (225 ILCS 320/35.5(c)(3)).
If any of the samples taken at the school are at or below 5 parts per billion, notification may be made by posting on the school’s website or, if desired, by individual notifications as would be done if the samples exceed 5 parts per billion.
If sampling is not timely completed, the Illinois Department of Public Health may refer the matter for enforcement.
For school buildings constructed between January 2, 1987 and January 1, 2000, the deadline for sampling is December 31, 2018.

BUCHAREST (Romania), December 20 (SeeNews) – The European Commission said on Wednesday it is providing a total of 86.6 million euro ($102.5 million) to help Romania improve access to drinking water.
The project, which is financed from the Cohesion Fund, includes the renovation and expansion of the waste water treatment system and the potable water distribution system in 23 communes in Alba county, central Romania, the Commission said in a press release.
Some 106,500 inhabitants will benefit from improved access to drinking water.
"Access to clean water should not be a luxury.
Cohesion policy projects represent, in a concrete way, a Europe that is concerned about the well-being of its citizens and about environment protection," Corina Cretu, European Commissioner for regional policy, said.
The Cohesion Fund concerns 15 member states – Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Its funding is allocated to trans-European transport networks and to projects falling under EU environmental priorities.
In November, the EC provided 17 million euro to Romania to improve access to drinking water in Constanta, Ialomita, Gorj, Ilfov and Suceava counties.
($=0.8442 euro)