The Winnebago River, which flows through Mason City, swelled over its banks and breeched the levee system on June 8. Record flooding forced the evacuation of residents and caused the closure of the water treatment plant for at least four days. Local officials advised residents to boil their drinking water until the system was back online and had been tested for total coliform to make sure it was safe to drink. Mason City officials and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) turned to the Hygienic Laboratory.
Thirty water samples were collected from the plant and ready for testing at the Iowa City Lab. A normally routine drive of 162 miles was not attempted because many of the roadways and, eventually, sections of the primary connecting interstate were either closed or expected to be closed.
Access to clean water is critical to the health of residents and to the economy of a city. It was urgent that the Mason City samples reach the Hygienic Laboratory quickly for testing. Due to the urgency for the Lab to receive the samples as quickly as possible, the decision was made to fly the samples into the Iowa City airport.
“Due to many road closings in the Coralville and Iowa City area, I called the airport to make sure they were still open for air traffic,” said Nancy Hall, supervisor of environmental microbiology, the section of UHL that performs drinking water tests. “Jim Watkinson (UHL supervisor of central services) drove to the airport to pick up the samples. The usual short drive took over an hour each way considering the road closures.
“Samples were immediately processed and results reported to the IDNR the next morning. Much to the credit and diligence of IDNR Region 2 and the staff of the Mason City Water Department, all water samples were negative for total coliform bacteria, signifying that Mason City’s water was safe to drink. The Water Department and IDNR did a great job bringing the system online in such a short time and with such success.”
After four days without municipal water, the boil order was lifted in Mason City.
Earlier this month, Mason City officials sent UHL a certificate of appreciation in recognition for the Hygienic Lab’s contribution to recovery efforts.
“This was definitely a success story for the citizens of Mason City, and UHL was glad to be able to help in their time of need,” Nancy said.
The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) hosted a celebration on Sept. 8 at Vets Auditorium in Des Moines to salute the UHL, other public health partners and civilian volunteers for services provided during and after the summer flood.
IDPH Director Tom Newton presented Dr. Don Simmons, UHL environmental program manager, and Pam Mollenhauer, UHL program assistant, with a certificate of appreciation on behalf of the Laboratory.
This Week @ UHL
http://www.uhl.uiowa.edu/tw@uhl/09-15-08.pdf
(Edited by Pat Blake)