E. coli Water Contamination in Texas Restaurant Under Investigation
E. coli contamination in water caused Fralo’s Pizza of Leon Springs, Texas to be temporarily shut down, although the restaurant reopened this week, according to local news sources. Dozens of diners and restaurant employees reportedly became sick after eating at the restaurant, and these contamination problems began at the same time a sewage leak occurred across the street from the restaurant.
Health officials have not attributed the restaurant’s water contamination to the spill, which involves up to 400,000 gallons of sewage that leaked into the ground. However, tests of the restaurant’s water are now showing no contamination as health officials continue to investigate the source of the problem.
“It is very hard to determine because there are so many factors that can impact water quality especially from a well, such as septic tanks,” said Sarah Gateswood of San Antonio Water System. “We know the area has a lot of septic tanks. The most important thing is for people to rest assured that the tests we are taking are coming back clean.”
The restaurant owner said he will hire a firm to regularly test the well. Right now, as an extra safety precaution, Fralo’s Pizza is still testing the water every day.
Sources:
http://www.ksat.com/news/24735142/detail.html
http://www.saws.org/latest_news/NewsDrill.cfm?news_id=702
Ohio State Researchers Connect E. coli to Swimmers
New research released by The Ohio State University reported that there is a direct link with high E.coli levels and swimmers becoming ill. 
The report also states that testing for E.coli can take up to 18 hours and that swimming advisories are usually posted a day late.
Mary Clifton with the Ohio Department of Health told NBC4-TV in Columbus, Ohio, that there is a push to get more rapid testing. The problem is that there is not an improved standard test yet to do rapid testing. The Ohio State research report said that better methods need to be in place to protect lakes from being contaminated in the first place. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli bacteria grow in the guts of cattle and other animals. The animals shed the pathogen in their feces and it can be washed into waterways during rains.
E. coli in Drinking Water at New Jersey Amusement Park
Drinking water at Land of Make Believe amusement park in Hope Township, New Jersey has tested positive for E. coli bacteria, according to local news outlets. The park will undergo plumbing repairs and water use restrictions, Warren County Health Officer Peter Summers told news sources. Over 50 years old, the park will remain open and Summers says the facilities are safe for visitors. The pool water has not tested positive for E. coli, the harmful pathogen that can cause serious illness if ingested, especially in children and the elderly.
“With the temporary measures [the amusement park] put in place, it’s safe for them to operate,” Summers said.
According to the news report, Warren County officials found out in late July that one of five drinking water samples taken from the park had tested positive for E. coli. Visitors are being instructed not to drink the water. Plumbing repairs have finished and the park’s drinking water will be tested again this week. So long as the park is taking steps to remedy the issue, no fines will be imposed. News reports cited that the Land of Make Believe did receive a violation in 2009 from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for “unpermitted discharge to ground or surface water from a septic system.”
Source:
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/warren-county/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1282104315245270.xml&coll=3
Lincoln NE Area Lake Tainted With E. coli
A popular recreational lake in the greater Lincoln, Nebraska, area has been found with very high levels of E. coli. The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality has not closed Branched Oak Lake to swimming or other recreation, but people should avoid drinking the water.
A test taken August 12 of the lake revealed E. coli levels at 1,300 parts per 100 milliliters. Any count greater than 235 is considered high, said Brian McManus, a department spokesman. Officials did not say what caused the spike in E. coli levels in the lake, but runoff from heavy rain has been known to increase E. coli levels in some lakes. The pathogen grows in the guts of cattle and some other animals and is expelled in the animals’ feces. The bacteria can cause bloody diarrhea and painful stomach cramping. In 5 to 15 percent of infections, patients develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), the leading cause of kidney failure in children.
McManus told JournalStar.com that weekly testing of the lake will continue.
E. coli in Water Supply Prompts Advisory in New York Community
Residents of Green Acres Mobile Home Park in Hornellsville, New York will have to boil their water as a precaution against E. coli contamination, according to local news sources. The Steuben County Department of Public Health and Nursing Services issued the advisory this weekend after some of the park’s water tested positive for E. coli, which is a harmful pathogen that can cause serious health effects, especially to the elderly and children.
“Over the weekend, the health department did some testing and they did find E. coli in one portion of the park,” town supervisor Ken Isaman said. “They also discovered that not only is city water being used there, but one of the old wells is serving the park. But those wells were supposed to be discontinued when they started using city water … The whole park is under a boil water advisory.”
Underground piping may have leaks or be failing, Isaman told news sources, and there are repairs that need to be made by the trailer park operator and a whole new infrastructure will have to be put in place in the community of about 50 residents. Water tests indicated a lack of chlorine in the park’s water supply, meaning that well water, which shouldn’t have been used, was being used in place of city water, Isaman said.
E. coli Well Water Contamination
Elliot Olsen, an E. coli attorney has represented people sickened by E. coli contaminated well water. “Our client was a family living in a rental property in rural Iowa when their toddler became sick with E. coli from the property’s contaminated well water,” Olsen said. “She then developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, or E. coli HUS, and had to undergo extensive medical treatment. The effects of contaminated water can be just as serious as the effects of food poisoning, and well owners and operators need to understand that.”
Source:
http://www.eveningtribune.com/topstories/x2092794659/E-Coli-found-at-Green-Acres-trailer-park
