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AWWA ACE95195
- Public Awareness and Reaction to a Drinking Water Threat: The Impact of the 1993 Boil Water Advisory in Washington, D.C.
- Conference Proceeding by American Water Works Association, 01/01/1995
- Publisher: AWWA
$12.00$24.00
"When the well's dry, we know the worth of water". This quote from Benjamin Franklin, could not have been more appropriate than what occurred in December, 1993. Over one million people in the Washington, DC metropolitan area had to boil their water for three days due to high turbidity in the filtered drinking water. This paper describes the efforts to improve public perceptions and trust in the Army Corps of Engineers' (COE) ability to deliver safe drinking water. After the initial press releases to boil the drinking water, all parties involved in the distribution of safe drinking water worked together to improve public opinions. EPA, (both the Regional and Washington offices) the District of Columbia, the Virginia Department of Health, the Maryland Department of the Environment, and the COE worked together as a team to create a coordinated response, and resolve the crisis as quickly as possible. A detailed analysis of the causes of the problem are presented and an outline of efforts to ensure that there would be no other similar incidents is offered. Several lessons that the City has learned are enumerated: Water Supply Emergency Plan, weekly on-site visits to examine operation and maintenance, meetings between the COE and the EPA, and a plan to modernize the water treatment plants.
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