Neptune Benson successfully installed an ultraviolet (UV) drinking water system in Berea, Ohio enabling Berea to seek the Cryptosporidium credit in the state.
The city of Berea’s public water system uses surface water drawn from the East Branch of the Rocky River; however supplies can be drawn from nearby Coe Lake and Baldwin Creek as required. As these are open surface water sources, like all other surface water sources they are vulnerable to run off and other forms of contamination. The city was keen to ensure the best possible water quality for its residents so starting in 2008 the city has been closely monitoring the quality of the water sources. Cryptosporidium was found in 10 of 24 samples collected from the East Branch of the Rocky River, which is typical for this type of surface water.
Cryptosporidium is a chlorine-tolerant organism that is ubiquitous and very persistent. It can survive for months in water or soil as an oocyst that has been shed by an infected host, and being parasitic, it requires a host to multiply. When people drink water containing the oocysts they quickly multiply and infection follows.
When this happens, boil notices are issued. Public outbreaks have now occurred in North America, Europe, Asia and South America, with immunocompromised patients and the elderly most vulnerable.
“We’ve been impressed so far with the quality of manufacturing of the ETS-UV machines, their responsiveness and particularly their knowledgeable technical staff," said Sandra Vozar, P.E., service director for the city of Berea. "It is important that we maintain the highest quality water from our facility, and the ETS-UV system will supplement our conventional disinfection process. Our facility is a state-of-the-art water treatment facility and we are proud that this will be one of the first in the state to disinfect water using UV light to get disinfection credits for deactivating Cryptosporidium.”
Source: Neptune Benson
