If the water crisis that occurred in Toledo, Ohio, last month doesn't
make you nervous, it should.
In a major metropolitan American city, located on the Great Lakes — the nation's most expansive freshwater resource — roughly 400,000 residents were forced to go for days without water after an algae bloom turned the waters of Lake Erie into something that looked more like pea soup. Treated water was unsafe for human consumption — even if boiled. Not only could residents not drink the local water, it wasn't considered safe for bathing or cleaning dishes.
A freak natural disaster? Actually, this crisis was almost entirely man-made. And unless something changes, it should happen again.
Think it's an isolated case? Ask the folks in Charleston, West Virginia. In January, they had to go nine days without being able to use their local water after a chemical leaked into the Elk River near the local water treatment plant, leaving the water with a noticeable licorice scent. Despite official reports the water was considered safe, four months later many residents still preferred using bottled water rather than the city tap water.
In the most recent case in Toledo, the type of algae that created the problem needs warm temperatures, nitrogen and phosphorus to grow. Nitrogen and phosphorus arrive in drinking water sources via sewerage overflows and runoff that contains agricultural and residential fertilizers and can happen anywhere. As far as heat, Louisiana summers provide plenty of that. So it's not unreasonable to think something similar could happen right here in Central Louisiana.
If the impacts of pollution seem only theoretical to you, or something that can't happen here, what occurred in Toledo and Charleston should be a warning. The recent blowout of a water main that serves the city of Alexandria and the resulting conservation efforts that were required should serve as clear proof our local water system is vulnerable. And boil advisories in neighboring communities happen often enough — Poland, Latanier and some Grant Parish communities have each had boil advisories so far this year — should serve to bring the issue very close to home.
State safety standards to provide guidelines for acceptable quantities of nutrients like nitrogen or phosphorus are on the radar in Louisiana, however most of those concerns center around runoff into the Mississippi River and the creation of dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico that impact wetlands and fishing. More can be done to ensure safe drinking water throughout the state.
At the federal level, lawmakers should stand firm behind the Clean Water Act.
So far, Central Louisiana has been lucky. But, as the folks in Toledo and Charleston can tell you, that can change quickly. The time to take steps to avoid such a crisis here has arrived.