2008 Woodie Awards
Slippery Rock water troubles short lived
By Bridget Yodens
Rocket Contributor
Issue date: 1/18/08 Section: News
On Dec. 20, each Slippery Rock University student received an e-mail advisory from the university, originally issued by the Slippery Rock Municipal Authority, stating that all water needed to be boiled before using.
Most SRU students were at home for winter break, so they were not directly affected.
"When someone told me about it, I didn't believe them at first because I hadn't checked my e-mail," said Kira Starzynski, a senior English writing major. "Then I saw the notice for myself, and I remember thinking that it would be a mess if the problem didn't get sorted out before everyone got back to school."
Slippery Rock's drinking water is now safe to consume, said Paul Dickey, manager of the Slippery Rock Municipal Authority.
Dickey doesn't believe that any harmful bacterium was actually in the water.
Total coliform, the substance identified in the notice as being present in the water supply, is not a contaminant but an indicator.
"Coliform in and of itself isn't harmful," Dickey said. "It's a common substance you probably ingest every day."
The presence of coliform, however, indicates there might be a problem with the water as a result of bad handling, but can also occur from the inadvertent use of an unclean test jar.
The Municipal Authority is required by the Department of Environmental Protection to notify all customers of possible contamination after receiving two positive tests for coliform.
"We don't really believe there was a problem," Dickey said. "It was just a precautionary measure."
Slippery Rock Mayor Ken Harris said he thought the presence of coliform may have been a result of a problem with the testing protocol.
Dickey mentioned that an E. coli test had been performed as soon as the two coliform tests had been conducted, but the water tested negative for any signs of E. coli.
After two days, the Municipal Authority received results from the DEP that showed there was no contaminant in the water, allowing them to issue a statement informing clients that the water was safe to drink.
Most SRU students were at home for winter break, so they were not directly affected.
"When someone told me about it, I didn't believe them at first because I hadn't checked my e-mail," said Kira Starzynski, a senior English writing major. "Then I saw the notice for myself, and I remember thinking that it would be a mess if the problem didn't get sorted out before everyone got back to school."
Slippery Rock's drinking water is now safe to consume, said Paul Dickey, manager of the Slippery Rock Municipal Authority.
Dickey doesn't believe that any harmful bacterium was actually in the water.
Total coliform, the substance identified in the notice as being present in the water supply, is not a contaminant but an indicator.
"Coliform in and of itself isn't harmful," Dickey said. "It's a common substance you probably ingest every day."
The presence of coliform, however, indicates there might be a problem with the water as a result of bad handling, but can also occur from the inadvertent use of an unclean test jar.
The Municipal Authority is required by the Department of Environmental Protection to notify all customers of possible contamination after receiving two positive tests for coliform.
"We don't really believe there was a problem," Dickey said. "It was just a precautionary measure."
Slippery Rock Mayor Ken Harris said he thought the presence of coliform may have been a result of a problem with the testing protocol.
Dickey mentioned that an E. coli test had been performed as soon as the two coliform tests had been conducted, but the water tested negative for any signs of E. coli.
After two days, the Municipal Authority received results from the DEP that showed there was no contaminant in the water, allowing them to issue a statement informing clients that the water was safe to drink.
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