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Handling the Threat of Contaminated Water Supplies
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
opflow
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1551-8701
pISSN - 0149-8029
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8701.1983.tb00093.x
Subject(s) - contamination , environmental science , cyanide , water contamination , pollutant , contaminated water , pesticide , chlorine , waste management , environmental chemistry , environmental protection , chemistry , engineering , inorganic chemistry , ecology , biology , organic chemistry , agronomy
This article discusses methods for handling contaminated water supplies, reviews toxicity, maximum contaminant concentrations for chemical pollutants, and lethal dose 50 (LD 50), and describes protective and emergency countermeasures for protecting water supplies against contamination. Emergency treatment procedures for reducing concentrations of arsenicals, cyanides, hydrocarbons, organic chemicals, nerve agents, and pesticides are outlined. Protective measures include protection of isolated or vulnerable reservoirs, detection and monitoring programs, and maintenance of high chlorine residuals. More than 50 water utilities in southern Louisiana were threatened with cyanide poisoning in the water supplies in early 1983. Such threats of sabotage can occur anywhere in the United States, and every water utility should be prepared to handle this type of emergency.