February 6, 2003 - The Athens News: Niger RPCV Kristen LaSor says Water Supply in Athens Georgia made her sick
Peace Corps Online: Peace Corps News: Headlines: Peace Corps Headlines - 2003: 02 February 2003 Peace Corps Headlines: February 6, 2003 - The Athens News: Niger RPCV Kristen LaSor says Water Supply in Athens Georgia made her sick
By Admin1 (admin) on Monday, February 17, 2003 - 1:55 am: Edit Post

Niger RPCV Kristen LaSor says Water Supply in Athens Georgia made her sick




Read and comment on this story from The Athens News in which Niger RPCV Kristen LaSor says Athens Water Supply made her sick. She drank the well water at the new recruit training center soon after arrival without any treatment. The outcome? "I did get sick," she confirmed. LaSor immediately was afflicted with a throat infection that battered her immune system, was at the mercy of a GI tract gone awry, and then she got "giardia, some kind of amoeba, and e. coli all at the same time." Read the story at:

Athens' municipal water supply pretty clean, say local officials*

* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.


Athens' municipal water supply pretty clean, say local officials
2003-02-06
By Matt Moore
Athens NEWS Contributor

Many people can appreciate the gag, "Evian spelled backwards is Naive," from the 1994 Ben Stiller comedy "Reality Bites." One of those people is definitely Crystal Kynard, manager at the Athens water treatment plant.

The treatment plant, located across from OU's driving range on West State Street, is a sturdy but not unhandsome building surrounded by barbed wire. With 9/11 still in the foreground of national policy, a building protected from would-be water contaminators seems reasonable. Behind the barbed wire, though, is a squeaky clean building that smells distinctly of, well, pool.

"Our groundwater is fairly stable coming in, but the law says we have to add a disinfectant," explained Kynard. Hello, chlorine. According to Kynard, though, and confirmed by EPA standards, Athens water is excellent quality, despite the necessity of chlorine and other additives, which some residents say they can smell when they drink the water.

One of these people with a sensitive nose is Athens resident Kristen LaSor, who spent two years in the Peace Corps in Niger, some of which was spent in an impoverished village in the bush. LaSor tackled the issue of water head on while living in Niger.

"Peace Corps gave us a filter and bleach," she recalled. "You may as well just get sick. You'll be faced with situations where you don't have your little pump."

She drank the well water at the new recruit training center soon after arrival without any treatment. The outcome? "I did get sick," she confirmed.

LaSor immediately was afflicted with a throat infection that battered her immune system, was at the mercy of a GI tract gone awry, and then she got "giardia, some kind of amoeba, and e. coli all at the same time."

A fellow Peace Corps volunteer at the time exclaimed, "Do you realize that if you had e. coli in the States, you'd be in the newspaper?" A whole different world.

Athens City water comes from 14 wells that are all 50 or 60 feet in the ground, according to Kynard. These wells provide water much different than that of LaSor's experience, providing water with no microbial contamination, and very rarely any chemical contamination.

"Every once in a while we get hit with something, but that's why we're here," said Kynard with a smile.

"People don't realize how good our water is in Athens," added Kynard. To back this up, a new EPA standard, the Disinfection Bi-Products rule, wasn't even an issue for Athens water, as Athens' water quality doesn't necessitate a large volume of disinfection, hence there's no need to regulate a great amount of disinfectant bi-products.

What about the chlorine smell then?

According to Kynard, chlorine is added as a disinfectant. Athens water also gets a dose of caustic soda, to protect pipes and balance acidity, and fluoride, our local controversial additive.

Fluoride in Athens city water generates most of the complaints at the water treatment plant, while others have in the past demanded refunds for discolored clothing or called about water-line breaks.

Water-line breaks are usually followed by a boil order. According to Kynard, boil orders are necessary to ensure water quality at residences and businesses. The water system is a closed system, but breaks in the line or flooding can let in contaminants. The boil order lasts as long as it takes for the system to be closed and the water tested. "Ninety-nine percent of the time, it's fine," said Kynard.

Water from the tap, ready to drink, is the standard here in the States, but it's something that LaSor no longer takes for granted.

"I do think about how easy it is to get water (in the States)," she said. "My neighbor filled two clay pots I had sunk into the ground for my water. The biggest shower I could take in Niger was how much I could fit in my bucket."

Upon leaving water plant, past the stone ornamental fountains that guard its front gate, Kynard answered a question about bottled water.

"I used to tell my tour groups that bottled water is FDA approved and not EPA approved," she replied. "You don't know what goes into that water."

And what of those rows of bottled water that take up half an aisle in Kroger? Evian does have a place there, along with 16 other varieties that come in a multitude of sizes and formats.

Is it Naive to pay for bottled water? Its price nearly matches the cost of gasoline.

Let "natural mineral dietary supplement" Trinity's bottle label speak for itself -- "Nature has protected Trinity deep underground in a solid, crystal-lined granite aquifer for over 16,000 years. Flowing up naturally from a depth of 2.2 miles... Trinity journeys through gem-like passageways that infuse it with minerals from the earth."

Athens water? It's filtered down through the silt, mud and clay of the Hocking Hills, joins an aquifer, gets pulled out by one of our 14 wells, endures a bit of beauty treatment at the water plant, and then comes right out of your faucet. Not bad.
More about Peace Corps Volunteers who have served in Niger



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This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Niger; Special Interests - Water Quality

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By Anonymous (proxy-07.swgfl.ifl.net - 62.171.194.10) on Tuesday, May 13, 2008 - 7:20 am: Edit Post

I feel Sorry For Them Georgia Is really Sick If Shee Did that too them ...!!

Godd Save There Lives

Amen

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