<p>My daughter set off this morning from out home in MI to stay with best friends relatives in Ohio. So off they go, then I hear about all this on the news!! I texted her right away to tell her not to drink the water. Fortunately the Cracker Barrel they were going to stop at in Toledo had closed due to the water issue, so they weren’t exposed to it and had become aware of the problem. Also thankfully the relatives house is outside of the affected area. But it is a HUGE area affected, and no immediate end to the problem in sight. And you can’t even boil the water, because they say it will make it worse! </p>
<p>A very dear friend of mine lives in Maumee. She drove south Friday in the middle of the night to get 40 gallons of water for herself and neighbors. Have told her she is welcome to come here if need be.</p>
<p>We have a water filtering system in the kitchen. Would the water filter filter it out?</p>
<p>It depends. If the toxin is extremely water-soluble, it would be hard to clear it out with a carbon filter. If it is something more hydrophobic, it could stick to carbon. Even I would not take my chances before researching the issue much further.</p>
<p>This is what the contaminant apparently looks like:</p>
<p><a href=“Microcystin - Wikipedia”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microcystin</a></p>
<p>Apparently, it can be removed by carbon-based filters, but it has to be done properly.</p>
<p>I read they are testing water for microcystin.</p>
<p>I have a good friend that lives in southern Monroe County with two young children and she’s pregnant with her third. She lives in a trailer and has no car and no tv. I called her this morning when I heard about this and she had no idea. She’s now trying to figure out if she’s one of those affected but apparently Monroe County hasn’t sent out any alert or anything. </p>
<p>Truly terrifying. </p>
<p>Yikes! Be careful out there. So sorry.</p>
<p>Toledo, hope your son recovers quickly. Keep him hydrated with pedialyte and you can even try watermelon.</p>
<p>A regular kitchen filter (like a Brita filter or an inline filter) would probably NOT filter out the contaminant. I think that a backpacker’s gravity filter or pump filter would, but don’t act on this without checking! The issue is that the contaminants are inside the algae cells, so if the algae cells are filtered out without breaking them, the water would be safe, and backcountry water filters are supposed to do that. Backpackers’ water filters should handle algae blooms-- sometimes backpackers and bikepackers have to filter some fairly unsavory water.</p>
<p>My SIL has a RO (reverse osmosis) system tap at her cottage for drinking water. They have a well but it has sulphur and is not very tasty. We also have well water so wouldn’t be affected by this particular situation. I’ve been begging my H to install one at our house but he doesn’t think it’s important because it’s not to him ;). </p>
<p>I could ask him but would a RO system make this water drinkable? They sell the kits at Home Depot and can be pretty cheap <a href=“http://t.homedepot.com/p/GE-Reverse-Osmosis-Filtration-System-GXRM10RBL/202073853/”>http://t.homedepot.com/p/GE-Reverse-Osmosis-Filtration-System-GXRM10RBL/202073853/</a>. </p>
<p>You do waste a lot of water making RO water. </p>
<p>^^Exactly, CF. I would not try my luck. Better safe than sorry.</p>
<p>We have a Katadyn filter. I think that’s the one campers use. </p>
<p>Igloo - the problem is that if the toxin is released into water from spores, filters that remove even micron-sized particles will NOT remove the toxin that is dissolved in the water (think solution - like trying to “unsweeten” the sweet water which was made by dissolving sugar in water). You need a filter of some sort that toxin would adhere to and be captured in that way.</p>
<p>Some chemical treatments can destroy the toxin. Ozone and permanganate work, while chlorination and some others don’t.
<a href=“404 Page Not Found | Texas Water Development Board”>http://www.twdb.texas.gov/innovativewater/resources/emergency-water-supply-planning/Microcystin\Lee%20Jung%20Ju%20MC%20removal%20using%20PAC%20and%20UF.pdf</a></p>
<p>Gosh, I had know idea at all about this. Toledo, I hope your son recovers quickly and that they figure out quickly how to make the water safe. </p>
<p>I haven’t stocked up on water since Sandy. This is a good wake up call for every one. </p>
<p>I wonder why there are no public announcements (that I can find) about whether backpackers’ water filters would work. People have them. Surely I’m not the only one wondering.</p>
<p>I’m from Charleston, West Virginia - welcome to my world, won’t you come on in? </p>
<p>We went through the same thing - fistfights for water in stores, etc. My H was in another county in an unaffected area for a wrestling match with S2 that night (January 9) and brought some water home. I also made it to the store in time to get several bags of ice, some of which I took to an elderly couple from my parish with whom I’m friendly. All the schools were closed - S2 missed almost the entire month of January between weather and water. </p>
<p>Restaurants, hair salons, day care centers - any businesses which depended on water were closed. We heated water on the stove to wash with, but I went to work for probably the first time in my life without washing my hair.
My office (I’m a state employee) remained open, since we could still flush toilets, but all the sinks, drinking fountains, ice machines and coffeemakers were taped off and hand sanitizer was everywhere. </p>
<p>The next day was Saturday and by then the National Guard was distributing water from “water buffaloes” trucked in from unaffected areas. I took every container in the house down there and filled up, and finally washed my hair very carefully in two gallons of water. One small municipality with its own water system had all its businesses open and all were crowded. The Catholic school there opened its gym showers to the public for use, and hotels in unaffected areas were offering use of their showers. Bottled water was coming in from everywhere. The fire station near our house was a distribution point and I drove by there and got a couple of cases every day for a week. </p>
<p>That Sunday, at church, we did not have Communion in both forms under orders from our Bishop, since the Communion vessels couldn’t be properly washed, and many people stayed away from the holy water font, though that water was unaffected as far as I know. We went to my bil’s house in an unaffected area 35 miles away to do laundry and shower. </p>
<p>Monday, the water started coming back on, though hardly anybody drank or cooked with it, and some still aren’t. We live near several hospitals so our area was one of the first to come back on line. Some areas didn’t come back on line for a week or so. We flushed our pipes for the suggested 15 minutes, then went ahead and showered. I continued to pick water up from the fire station for another week. The last public distribution site closed at the end of February.</p>
<p>The biggest fallout has been the loss of trust in our water system and our public officials. Our problem was cause by a chemical leak and not toxic algae and we still feel we haven’t heard the whole story. The second biggest has been from the closed businesses and lost wages for their employees. Some were generous and helped their people out with partial pay, etc., but many did not. The local United Way started a relief fund for those who could not work due to the water crisis and collected nearly $80,000.00.</p>
<p>Needless to say, there are a lot of law suits going around and it will be decades before everything is settled, if it ever is. Best of luck to you and be patient - this will get resolved eventually!</p>
<p>@toledo - how terrible and scary! Praying you guys get safe water soon and that your son recovers quickly.</p>
<p>Oh, bestfriendsgirl, that sounds awful. It is scary and the politicians keep talking, but don’t have any answers. The surrounding communities have been so helpful. </p>
<p>There doesn’t seem to be as much panic today because water is now available at various stations around the city. Kroger even had water this afternoon. I haven’t run my dishwasher or washed any clothes. The say the algae isn’t as bad if you use cold water. Only those with compromised immune systems are warned against bathing in the water. One friend of ours, with diabetes, told us about putting plastic bags, with rubber bands, on his feet, when he took his shower this morning. </p>
<p>My son is much better today. </p>
<p>CF, there are no announcements because (i) water filters are ineffective at removing the dissolved toxin and (ii) even if you specify that one particular filter type does the job, some people will still see no difference and try to use Britas etc. Boiling is boiling no matter what kind of pot one is using to boil, but not all filters are created equal. </p>