Louisiana DHH Strongly Recommends Certain Drinking Water Systems to Increase Chlorine Residual Levels and to Increase Monitoring by 25 Percent (October 10 2013)

[Giuseppe]

[Source: Louisiana DoH, full page: (LINK).]


DHH Strongly Recommends Certain Drinking Water Systems to Increase Chlorine Residual Levels and to Increase Monitoring by 25 Percent

The Department will work closely with water systems on plans to increase residual chlorine levels that best meet their needs

Wednesday, October 9, 2013 | Contact: Media & Communications: Phone: 225.342.1532, E-mail: dhhinfo@la.gov


BATON ROUGE, La.?Baton Rouge, La. - Officials with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals announced today that they are monitoring certain public drinking water systems to determine if they have residual chlorine levels of 0.5 milligrams per liter throughout their distribution lines. For drinking water systems that utilize chloramines, the Department is also strongly recommending they increase the frequency of testing and number of samples for chlorine residual levels throughout their distribution lines.

Residual chlorine levels of 0.5 milligrams per liter throughout drinking water distribution lines are key to eliminating biological contaminants such as Naegleria fowleri, the brain-eating ameba found to be present in two water systems in St. Bernard and DeSoto parishes. If systems do not meet the 0.5 threshold, the Department will require it. This requirement will exceed the current federal standard issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Based on DHH's analysis, the St. Bernard and DeSoto water systems have a common trait in that they disinfect by chloramination. A total of 84 water systems - including St. Bernard and DeSoto - disinfect by chloramination.

DHH public health engineers and officials will work closely with water systems and parish management teams to outline work plans and timelines in order to achieve required chlorination residuals. DHH will continue to evaluate chlorine residual levels in other public drinking water systems throughout the state; later requirements may be issued for systems that utilize free chlorine.

The 84 chloraminated water systems required to increase their chlorine sampling and monitoring frequency will be provided additional assistance by DHH that could include testing kits and personnel to conduct monitoring.

Public health engineers are currently evaluating and monitoring recent residual chlorine levels for the more than 1,300 drinking water systems throughout the state.

DHH announced Tuesday that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control confirmed five positive test results for the presence of Naegleria fowleri in the DeSoto Parish Water Works District No. 1. The Department contacted parish officials and water system management the same day to set an aggressive plan to eliminate the ameba in the distribution system. Water Works District No. 1 began a chlorine burn Wednesday morning; the additional free chlorine in the system should kill any remaining ameba in the distribution lines. The chlorine burn will last for 60 days past the point at which the system reaches 1.0 milligrams per liter. At that point, DHH and the CDC will conduct additional testing for the ameba.

Wednesday, experts at DHH, and the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness spoke with parish officials and water system management teams throughout the state in order to provide guidance on chlorination levels that are needed to kill amebas. Only two parishes have had positive test results for Naegleria fowleri; water systems in these parishes were tested in response to recent deaths from the ameba -- one each in DeSoto and St. Bernard parishes and a recent death in St. Bernard Parish in July.


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[Pathfinder]

Re: Louisiana DHH Strongly Recommends Certain Drinking Water Systems to Increase Chlorine Residual Levels and to Increase Monitoring by 25 Percent (October 10 2013)

Parish-by-parish responses to DHH amoeba battle

wwltv.com
Posted on October 10, 2013 at 5:41 PM
Katie Moore / Eyewitness News

BATON ROUGE, La. -- The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals asked 85 water systems across the state to increase their chlorine levels to 0.5 miligrams per liter as a precautionary measure to stave off a potentially deadly brain-eating amoeba.

Water systems in many metro-area parishes are affected by the increase, which the state health officer for DHH said Thursday may become permanent.

"Our system is just fine," said Robert Jackson, a spokesman for the Orleans Parish Sewerage & Water Board.

He said the chlorine levels have always been high enough to kill the brain-eating amoeba.

Jefferson Parish is also on the list for water systems that use chloramine to disinfect their water. Public Information Officer Kriss Fortunato released this statement about their precautions:

"Jefferson Parish water is safe and meets all the state and federal requirements.

"Jefferson Parish continues to monitor the water system closely and provides high quality water to the citizens of the parish.

More...

http://www.wwltv.com/news/parishbyparishresponsestoamoebabattle-227298701.html

[Pathfinder]

Re: Louisiana DHH Strongly Recommends Certain Drinking Water Systems to Increase Chlorine Residual Levels and to Increase Monitoring by 25 Percent (October 10 2013)

Majority of Water Systems Comply with DHH Emergency Rule Requiring Higher Disinfectant Levels in Drinking Water

New standards will help control rare ameba, make water safer for all uses

Monday, March 24, 2014 | Contact: Media & Communications: Phone: 225.342.1532, E-mail: dhhinfo@la.gov

BATON ROUGE, La.?The Department of Health and Hospitals on Monday announced that around 95 percent of the state's drinking water systems have complied with an emergency rule issued last year requiring increased disinfectant levels in drinking water and increased monitoring of water quality.
The emergency rule was issued in November 2013 and required that water systems in the state maintain a higher residual disinfectant level and increase their number of sampling sites by 25 percent. Most drinking water systems in Louisiana were required to meet this new higher standard by February 1, 2014.

The rule was written following discussions with scientists, federal officials, industry leaders and water system operators. The Emergency Rule is based on scientific data and recommendations from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) relative to the control of the Naegleria fowleri ameba that was discovered in two public water systems in the state.

DHH Secretary Kathy Kliebert said, "We are excited that so many systems were able to bring their water up to the new standard, which is known to control the Naegleria fowleri ameba. We will continue to work with the 73 systems that did not yet comply to ensure that they do. It is important for users in these systems to understand that their water remains safe to drink, even if the system did not comply with the new rule yet. The raised chlorination standards are higher than the national standards for drinking water and were put in place to ensure that the water is safe for all uses."

Prior to the November 2013 Emergency Rule, Louisiana's regulations, which were implemented in 1995 in accordance with federal guidance, stipulated that drinking water systems were required to have a "trace" or "detectable" level of chlorine residual at all points of their system at all times.

Senate Bill 75 by Senator J. P. Morrell directs DHH to promulgate a permanent rule with a minimum disinfectant level of more than a "trace" of free or total chlorine in the water. SB 75 is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Health and Welfare committee on Tuesday.

Senator Morrell said, "After the tragic loss of three people to the very rare Naegleria fowleri ameba, we must take action to ensure that our water is disinfected in a way that controls this ameba, which is what my bill would do. The fact that so many water systems have already complied with DHH's emergency rule speaks not only to how seriously our water systems take protecting their customers' safety and wellbeing, but also to how achievable this higher standard of chlorination is."

In total, only 73 systems out of the state's 1,369 public drinking water systems are not in compliance with the November 2013 emergency rule, which is around 5 percent of all drinking water systems in Louisiana. The Department issued Notice of Violation letters to the 73 systems today. A list of the systems not in compliance can be found at dhh.louisiana.gov/WaterFacts or by clicking here.

DHH will work with these systems that are not yet in compliance with the emergency rule to ensure that they are able to comply and to try to avoid future enforcement action. Not complying with the Emergency Rule does not mean that the water is unsafe for users to drink.

Under the November 2013 rule, drinking water systems must have a minimum disinfectant residual level of 0.5 mg/l throughout all of their distribution lines. This 0.5 mg/l level is known to control the Naegleria fowleri ameba. The rule also requires that water systems develop and submit a revised monitoring plan for bacteriological and chlorine residual monitoring by January 1, 2014. If a system disinfects using chloramines, which is chlorine with an ammonia addition, as opposed to free chlorine, it must submit a nitrification control plan to DHH by March 1, 2014.

Download a copy of the rule here.

FOR QUESTIONS/ UPDATES

In response to the positive test results for Naegleria fowleri in some water systems in St. Bernard and DeSoto parish several weeks ago, DHH launched www.dhh.louisiana.gov/WaterFacts to provide the public with accurate information about the ameba. DHH is also accepting questions from the public for using a form on this Website or via e-mail to DHHInfo@la.gov.

For information from the CDC about Naegleria fowleri, visit this site: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/prevention.html

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http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov/index.c...om/detail/2993