# CDC
Surveillance
Summaries **April 12, 1996 / Vol. 45 / No. SS-1**

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Public Health Service **Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)**  **Atlanta, Georgia 30333** 

# Surveillance for
Waterborne-Disease Outbreaks — United States, 1993–1994**The MMWR**  **series of publications is published by the Epidemiology Program Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Public Health Service, U.S. Depart** 
**ment of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA 30333.**

**Centers for Disease Control and Prevention**

**.......................... David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D.** 
**Director**

**The production of this report as an MMWR**  **serial publication was coordinated in:**

**Epidemiology Program Office.................................... Stephen B. Thacker, M.D., M.Sc.** 

**Director**

**Richard A. Goodman, M.D., M.P.H. Editor,**  **MMWR Series** 

**Scott F. Wetterhall, M.D., M.P.H.**

**Associate Editor , CDC Surveillance Summaries** 

**Scientific Information and Communications Program**

**CDC Surveillance Summaries ...................................... Suzanne M. Hewitt, M.P.A.**  **Managing Editor**

**M. William Park, Ph.D., M.P.H. Project Editor** 

**Sandra L. Ford Morie M. Higgins**  **Beverly J. Holland**

**Peter M. Jenkins Visual Information Specialists**  **SUGGESTED CITATION**

**General: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Surveillance Sum** 
**maries , April 12, 1996. MMWR 1996;45(No. SS-1).**  **Specific: [Author(s)]. [title of particular article]. In: CDC Surveillance Sum** 
**maries , April 12, 1996. MMWR 19**  **96;45(No. SS-1):[inclusive page numbers].** 

**Copies can be purchased from Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325. Tel**  **ephone: (2 02) 783-3238.**  **Use of trade names and commercial sources is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the Public Health Service or the U.S. Department of Health** 
**and Human Services.**

# Contents

**Introduction...........................................................................................................2 EPA Regulations for Drinking Water ...................................................................3** 

**Methods .................................................................................................................3** 

**Sources of Data ...............................................................................................3**
**Definitions of Terms........................................................................................4**
**Classification of Outbreaks ............................................................................5**
**Results ...................................................................................................................6 1993–1994 Outbreaks Associated With Drinking Water.............................6**  **Etiologic Agents ...........................................................................................6 Cryptosporidium**  **......................................................................................6**
**Giardia ....................................................................................................11** 
**Bacteria...................................................................................................12**
**Chemicals...............................................................................................12 Unidentified Etiologic Agent.................................................................13**  **Water-Quality Data.....................................................................................13 Water System and Water Source..............................................................14** 
**1993–1994 Outbreaks Associated With Recreational Water....................15 Previously Unreported Outbreaks ..............................................................19** 
**Outbreaks Not Classified as Waterborne-Disease Outbreaks .................20**
**Discussion ...........................................................................................................20**

**General Considerations About Surveillance Data for Waterborne**
**Disease Outbreaks.........................................................................................20 1993–1994 Outbreaks Associated With Drinking Water...........................21** 
**1993–1994 Outbreaks Associated With Recreational Water....................26**
**Conclusions.........................................................................................................27**

**References...........................................................................................................28 Glossary...............................................................................................................31**  Vol. 45 / No. SS-1 MMWR i**Abortion NCCDPHP 1995; Vol. 44, No. SS-2 AIDS/HIV**  **Distribution by Racial/Ethnic Group NCID 1988; Vol. 37, No. SS-3 Among Black & Hispanic Children &**  **Women of Childbearing Age NCEHIC 1990; Vol. 39, No. SS-3 Behavioral Risk Factors NCCDPHP 1991; Vol. 40, No. SS-4**  **Birth Defects B.D. M**  **onitoring Program (see also Malformations) NCEH 1993; Vol. 42, No. SS-1 Contribution of B.D. to Infant Mortality**  **Among Minority Groups NCEHIC 1990; Vol. 39, No. SS-3 Breast & Cervical Cancer NCCDPHP 1992; Vol. 41, No. SS-2**  **Campylobacter NCID 1988; Vol. 37, No. SS-2**  **Chancroid NCPS 1992; Vol. 41, No. SS-3 Chlamydia NCPS 1993; Vol. 42, No. SS-3**  **Cholera NCID 1992; Vol. 41, No. SS-1 Congenital Malformations, Minority Groups NCEHIC 1988; Vol. 37, No. SS-3**  **Contraception Practices NCCDPHP 1992; Vol. 41, No. SS-4 Cytomegalovirus Disease, Congenital NCID 1992; Vol. 41, No. SS-2**  **Dengue NCID 1994; Vol. 43, No. SS-2 Dental Caries & Periodontal Disease Among**  **Mexican-American Children NCPS 1988; Vol. 37, No. SS-3 Diabetes Mellitus NCCDPHP 1993; Vol. 42, No. SS-2**  **Dracunculiasis NCID 1992; Vol. 41, No. SS-1 Ectopic Pregnancy NCCDPHP 1993; Vol. 42, No. SS-6**  **Elderly, Hospitalizations Among NCCDPHP 1991; Vol. 40, No. SS-1 Endometrial & Ovarian Cancers EPO, NCCDPHP 1986; Vol. 35, No. 2SS**  **Escherichia coli O157 NCID 1991; Vol. 40, No. SS-1**  **Evacuation Camps EPO 1992; Vol. 41, No. SS-4 Family Planning Services at Title X Clinics NCCDPHP 1995; Vol. 44, No. SS-2**  **Foodborne Disease NCID 1990; Vol. 39, No. SS-1 Gonorrhea & Syphilis, Teenagers NCPS 1993; Vol. 42, No. SS-3**  **Hazardous Substances Emergency Events ATSDR 1994; Vol. 43, No. SS-2 Health Surveillance Systems IHPO 1992; Vol. 41, No. SS-4**  **Hepatitis NCID 1985; Vol. 34, No. 1SS Homicide NCEHIC 1992; Vol. 41, No. SS-3**  **Homicides, Black Males NCEHIC 1988; Vol. 37, No. SS-1 Hysterectomy NCCDPHP 1986; Vol. 35, No. 1SS**  **Infant Mortality (see also National Infant Mortality; Birth Defects; Postneonatal Mortality) NCEHIC 1990; Vol. 39, No. SS-3**  **Influenza NCID 1993; Vol. 42, No. SS-1 Injury**  **Death Rates, Blacks & Whites NCEHIC 1988; Vol. 37, No. SS-3 Drownings NCEHIC 1988; Vol. 37, No. SS-1**  **Falls, Deaths NCEHIC 1988; Vol. 37, No. SS-1 Firearm-Related Deaths, Unintentional NCEHIC 1988; Vol. 37, No. SS-1**  **Head & Neck NCIPC 1993; Vol. 42, No. SS-5**

*Abbreviations

**ATSDR Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry CIO Centers/Institute/Offices**  **EPO Epidemiology Program Office IHPO International Health Program Office** 
**NCCDPHP National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion**
**NCEH National Center for Environmental Health NCEHIC National Center for Environmental Health and Injury Control** 
**NCID National Center for Infectious Diseases NCIPC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control** 
**NCPS National Center for Prevention Services NIOSH National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health**  **NIP National Immunization Program** Reports Published in CDC Surveillance Summaries Since January 1, 1985

Responsible Subject CIO/Agency* Most Recent Report ii MMWR April 12, 1996**In Developing Countries NCEHIC 1992; Vol. 41, No. SS-1 In the Home, Persons <15 Years of Age NCEHIC 1988; Vol. 37, No. SS-1**  **Motor Vehicle-Related Deaths NCEHIC 1988; Vol. 37, No. SS-1 Objectives of Injury Control, State & Local NCEHIC 1988; Vol. 37, No. SS-1**  **Objectives of Injury Control, National NCEHIC 1988; Vol. 37, No. SS-1 Residential Fires, Deaths NCEHIC 1988; Vol. 37, No. SS-1**  **Tap Water Scalds NCEHIC 1988; Vol. 37, No. SS-1 Lead Poisoning, Childhood NCEHIC 1990; Vol. 39, No. SS-4**  **Low Birth Weight NCCDPHP 1990; Vol. 39, No. SS-3 Malaria NCID 1995; Vol. 44, No. SS-5**  **Maternal Mortality NCCDPHP 1991; Vol. 40, No. SS-2 Measles NCPS 1992; Vol. 41, No. SS-6**  **Meningococcal Disease NCID 1993; Vol. 42, No. SS-2 Mining NIOSH 1986; Vol. 35, No. 2SS**  **Mumps NIP 1995; Vol. 44, No. SS-3 National Infant Mortality (see also Infant Mortality;**  **Birth Defects) NCCDPHP 1989; Vol. 38, No. SS-3 Neisseria gonorrhoeae**  **, Antimicrobial Resistance in NCPS 1993; Vol. 42, No. SS-3 Neural Tube Defects NCEH 1995; Vol. 44, No. SS-4**  **Nosocomial Infection NCID 1986; Vol. 35, No. 1SS Occupational Injuries/Disease**  **Asthma NIOSH 1994; Vol. 43, No. SS-1 Hazards, Occupational NIOSH 1985; Vol. 34, No. 2SS**  **In Meatpacking Industry NIOSH 1985; Vol. 34, No. 1SS Silicosis NIOSH 1993; Vol. 42, No. SS-5**  **State Activities NIOSH 1987; Vol. 36, No. SS-2 Parasites, Intestinal NCID 1991; Vol. 40, No. SS-4**  **Pediatric Nutrition NCCDPHP 1992; Vol. 41, No. SS-7 Pertussis NCPS 1992; Vol. 41, No. SS-8**  **Plague NCID 1985; Vol. 34, No. 2SS Plague, American Indians NCID 1988; Vol. 37, No. SS-3**  **Poliomyelitis NCPS 1992; Vol. 41, No. SS-1 Postneonatal Mortality NCCDPHP 1991; Vol. 40, No. SS-2**  **Pregnancy Nutrition NCCDPHP 1992; Vol. 41, No. SS-7 Pregnancy, Teenage NCCDPHP 1993; Vol. 42, No. SS-6**  **Rabies NCID 1989; Vol. 38, No. SS-1 Racial/Ethnic Minority Groups Various 1990; Vol. 39, No. SS-3**  **Respiratory Disease NCEHIC 1992; Vol. 41, No. SS-4 Rotavirus NCID 1992; Vol. 41, No. SS-3**  **Salmonella NCID 1988; Vol. 37, No. SS-2**  **Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Italy NCPS 1992; Vol. 41, No. SS-1 Smoking NCCDPHP 1990; Vol. 39, No. SS-3**  **Smoking-Attributable Mortality NCCDPHP 1994; Vol. 43, No. SS-1 Tobacco Control Laws, State NCCDPHP 1995; Vol. 44, No. SS-6**  **Tobacco-Use Behaviors NCCDPHP 1994; Vol. 43, No. SS-3 Streptococcal Disease (Group B) NCID 1992; Vol. 41, No. SS-6**  **Sudden Unexplained Death Syndrome Among Southeast Asian Refugees NCEH**  **IC, NCPS 1987; Vol. 36, No. 1SS Suicides, Persons 15–24 Years of Age NCEHIC 1988; Vol. 37, No. SS-1**  **Syphilis, Congenital NCPS 1993; Vol. 42, No. SS-6 Syphilis, Primary & Secondary NCPS 1993; Vol. 42, No. SS-3**  **Tetanus NCPS 1992; Vol. 41, No. SS-8 Trichinosis NCID 1991; Vol. 40, No. SS-3**  **Tuberculosis NCPS 1991; Vol. 40, No. SS-3 Waterborne-Disease Outbreaks NCID 1996; Vol. 45, No. SS-1**  **Years of Potential Life Lost EPO 1992; Vol. 41, No. SS-6 Youth Risk Behaviors NCCDPHP 1995; Vol. 44, No. SS-1**  Reports Published in CDC Surveillance Summaries Since January 1, 1985 — Continued

Responsible Subject CIO/Agency* Most Recent Report Vol. 45 / No. SS-1 MMWR iii

# Surveillance for Waterborne-Disease Outbreaks — United States, 1993–1994

**Michael H. Kramer, M.D., M.P.H. 1, 2** 



### Barbara L. Herwaldt, M.D., M.P.H. **2**



### Gunther F. Craun, P.E., D.E.E., M.P.H. **3**



### Rebecca L. Calderon, Ph.D., M.P.H. **4**



### Dennis D. Juranek, D.V.M., M.Sc. **2**

**1** 

### Epidemic Intelligence Service, Epidemiology Program Office, CDC
**2**



### Division of Parasitic Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, CDC
**3** 

### Global Consulting for Environmental Health, Radford, VA
**4**



### Human Studies Division, National Health and Environmental Effects **Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency**

Summary
Problem/Condition: **Since 1971, CDC and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have maintained a collaborative surveillance system for collecting and periodically**  **reporting data that relate to occurrences and causes of waterborne-disease outbreaks (WBDOs).**  Reporting Period Covered: **This summary inclu**  **des data for January 1993 through December 1994 and for previously unreported outbreaks in 1992.**  Description of the System: **The surveillance system includes data about outbreaks associated with water intended for drinking (i.e., drinking water) and those associated** **with recreational water. State, territorial, and local public health departments are pri marily responsible for detecting and investigating WBDOs and voluntarily reporting** 
**them to CDC on a standard form.**
Results: **For the 2-year period 1993–1994, 17 states and one territory reported a total of 30 outbreaks associated with drinking water. These outbreaks caused an estimated**  **405,366 persons to become ill, inclu ding 403,000 from an outbreak of crypto**  **sporidiosis in Milwaukee, the largest WBDO ever documented in the United States, and 2,366 from the other 29 outbreaks. No**  **etiologic agent was iden**  **tified for five (16.7%) of the 30 outbreaks. The pro**  **tozoan parasites**  **Giardia lamblia and**  **Crypto sporidium parvum**  **caused 10 (40.0%) of the 25 outbreaks for which the etiologic agent was identified. Two outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis occurred in large metropolitan ar**  **eas (i.e., Milwaukee and Las Vegas/Clark County) and were associated with deaths among immunocompromised per**  **sons. The waterborne nature of these two outbreaks was not recognized until at least 2 weeks after the onset of the Milwaukee outbreak**  **and until after the end of the Las Vegas outbreak. Campylobacter jejuni**  **was implicated for three outbreaks and the following pathogens for one outbreak each:**  **Shigella son**
**nei**

**, Shigella flexneri**  **, non-O1 Vibrio cholerae**  **(in a U.S. territory; the vehicle was commercially bottled water), and**  **Salmonella serotype Typhimurium (the outbreak**  **was associated with seven deaths). Eight outbreaks of chemical poiso ning were**  **reported: three were caused by lead (one case each), two by fluoride, two by nitrate,** Vol. 45 / No. SS-1 MMWR 1**and one by copper. Twenty (66.7%) of the 30 outbreaks were associa**  **ted with a well**

**water source. Fourteen states reported a total of 26 outbreaks associated with recreational water,**  **in which an estimated 1,714 persons became ill. Fourteen (53.8%) of**  **these 26 were outbreaks of gastroenteritis. The etiologic agent in each of these 14 outbreaks was**  **identified; 10 (71.4%) were caused by G. lamblia**  **or C. parvum**  **. Six of these 10 were associated with chlorinated, filtered pool**  **water, and three with lake water. One of**
**the latter was the first reported outbreak of cryptosporidiosis associated with the** **recreational use of lake water. Four outbreaks of lake water-associated bacterial gas troenteritis were reported, two caused by**  **S. sonnei , one by**  **S. flexneri , and one by** 
**Escherichia coli O157:H7. Nine outbreaks of hot tub-, whirlpool-, or swimming pool**  **associated pseudomonas d ermatitis were reported. Two outbreaks of**  **swimming pool-associated dermatitis had a suspected chemical etiology. The child who had the**  **one reported case of primary amebic meningoencephalitis, caused by infection with Naegleria fowleri**  **, died.** Interpretation: **The number of WBDOs reported annually has been similar for each**  **year during 1987–1994, except for an increase in 1992. Protozoan parasites, especially C. parvum**  **and G. lamblia** **, remain important etiologic agents of WBDOs. The out breaks of cryptosporidiosis in Milwaukee and Las Vegas demonstrate that WBDOs can**  **occur in large metropolitan areas. Surveillance methods are needed that expedite the detection of WBDOs and the institution of preventive measures (e.g., boil-water advi**  **sories).**

Actions Taken: **Surveillance data that identify the types of water systems, their defi ciencies, and the etiologic agents associated with outbreaks are used to evaluate the**  **adequacy of current technologies for providing safe drinking and recreational water. In addition, they are used to establish research priorities and assist in**  **improving water-quality regulations.** 



## INTRODUCTION
**National statistics on outbreaks associated with water intended for drinking (i.e., drinking water) have been available since 1920 (**  **1 ). Since 1971, CDC, the U.S.** **Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Council of State and Territorial Epide miologists have maintained a collaborative surveillance system with the collection**  **and periodic reporting of data on the occurrences and causes of waterborne-disease outbreaks (WBDOs) (**  **2,3 ). The surveillance system includes data about outbreaks as**  **sociated with drinking water and recreational water. This summary includes data for 1993 and 1994 and for previously unreported outbreaks in 1992.** 
**CDC’s and EPA’s efforts related to waterborne-disease surveillance have the follow ing goals: a) to characterize the epidemiology of WBDOs; b) to identify the etiologic**  **agents of WBDOs and to determine why the outbreaks occurred; c) to train public health personnel how to detect and investigate WBDOs; and d) to collaborate with**  **local, state, federal, and international agencies on initiatives to prevent waterborne diseases. The data gathered through this surveillance system are useful for evaluating**  **the adequacy of current technologies for providing safe drinking and recreational**  **water. Surveillance information also influences research priorities and may lead to improved water-quality regulations.**  2 MMWR April 12, 1996

## EPA REGULATIONS FOR DRINKING WATER
**Public water systems are regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 ( 4**  **), as amended in 1986 (**  **5 ). In 1989, to minimize microbial transmission, EPA promul**  **gated the Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR; in effect since 1991 [ 6**  **]) and in 1990 made the Total Coliform Rule more stringent (**  **7,8 ). To limit the public’s exposure to**  **pathogens, the SWTR requires water utilities to disinfect surface water and groundwa**  **ter that is at risk for contamination by surface water; human enteric viruses and**
**Giardia lamblia cysts are target organisms for assessing the adequacy of treatment. In**  **addition, utilities that use such source waters must provide filtration, unless specific criteria are met (e.g., with respect to turbidity, total or fecal coliforms in source water,**  **and the operation of a watershed-control program to minimize contamination). The SWTR requires the monitoring of turbidity and various other parameters to demon**  **strate the adequacy of filtration and disinfection, respectively. The Total Coliform Rule currently requires, under certain conditions, periodic field**  **inspections of water systems, testing water for**  **Escherichia coli , and if water samples**  **are positive for total coliforms, additional sampling to evaluate the water quality. No more than 5% of the samples collected in a given month can be positive for total coli**  **forms. For systems in which <40 samples per month are required, no more than one sample can be positive. In addition, a maximum-contaminant-level goal for fecal coli** 
**forms or E. coli**  **is specified. Repeated sampling and testing within 24 hours is required**
**if these limits are exceeded. The Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule, proposed July 29, 1994 (**  **9 ), and the**  **Ground Water Disinfection Rule (to be proposed) also w ill address**  **the prevention of waterborne diseases. The former may require additional treatment beyond that man**  **dated by the SWTR for systems with source waters of poor quality. It also may include specific treatment requirements to ensure the removal of**  **Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts. The latter rule will be designed to protect groundwater systems from micro**  **bial contamination, particularly by viruses. To emphasize the importance of having treatment plants operate optimally, EPA,** **in conjunction with operators of water-treatment plants, has initiated a voluntary pro gram. Under this program, water utilities can have peer review, in addition to their**  **self-assessment, of the performance of their treatment processes. Additionally, on February 10, 1994, EPA proposed the Information Collection Rule (**  **10 ) for the collec**  **tion of data about the presence of several pathogens and disinfection by-products (and selected precursors thereof) in water, as well as about the ability of treatment**  **plants to remove these substances. This rule would require**  **utilities that obtain water from surface-water sources and that provide service to**  ≥ **100,000 persons to test, for 18 months, source water (in some instances, also finished water) for**  **C. parvum and** 
**G. lamblia , total culturable viruses, total and fecal coliforms or**  **E. coli , coliphages, and**  **Clostridium perfringens**

**.**



## METHODS

Sources of Data

**State, territorial, and local public health agencies have the primary responsibility for detecting and investigating WBDOs and voluntarily reporting them to CDC on a**  Vol. 45 / No. SS-1 MMWR 3**standard form (CDC form 52.12 [ 3**  **]). CDC periodically requests reports from the state and territorial epidemiologists or from persons designated as coordinators of WBDO**  **surveillance. When needed, additional information about water quality and treatment is obtained from the state’s drinking-water agencies.** 



## Definitions of Terms*

**The surveillance system for WBDOs res embles that used for foodborne**  **-disease outbreaks and differs from other systems in that the unit of analysis is an outbreak**  **rather than an individual case of a particular disease. Two criteria must be met for an event to be defined as a WBDO. First, at least two persons must have experienced a**  **similar illness after the ingestion of drinking water or after exposure to water used for recreational purposes. Second, epidemiologic evidence must implicate water as the**  **probable source of the illness. The stipulation that at least two persons be ill is waived for single cases of laboratory-confirmed, primary amebic meningoencephalitis and for**  **single cases of chemical poisoning if water-quality data indicate contamination by the chemical. If primary and secondary cases are distinguished on the outbreak-report**  **form, only primary cases are included in the total number of cases. Outbreaks caused by contamination of water or ice at the point of use (e.g., a contaminated serving con**  **tainer) are not classified as WBDOs and are, instead, reported to the surveillance**  **system for foodborne-disease outbreaks. Public water systems, classified as either c**  **ommunity or noncommunity water sys**  **tems, provide piped water to the public for general consumption and are regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act. A community water system serves year-round resi**  **dents of a community, subdivision, or mobile-home park that has** ≥ **15 service connections or an average of**  ≥ **25 residents. A noncommunity water system serves an institution, industry, camp, park, hotel, or business that is used by the**  **general public**
**for** ≥ **60 days per year and has** ≥ **15 service connections or serves an average of** ≥ **25 per sons. Of the approximately 215,000 water systems in the United States classified as**  **public systems, 158,000 (73.5%) are noncommunity systems, ser ving transients**  **(133,000 systems) and nontransients (25,000), and 57,000 (26.5%) are c ommunity sys**  **tems (EPA, unpublished data, 1**  **995). Individual water systems are defined as small water systems, not owned or operated by a water utility, that serve <15 residences or**  **farms that do not have access to a public water system. Community and individual**  **water systems serve approximately 243 million persons in the United States (91% of the U.S. population) and 24 m**  **illion (9%), respectively. In addi tion, millions of persons**  **use noncommunity systems while traveling or working. Each drinking-water system associated with a WBDO is classified as having one of**  **the following deficiencies:**

**1 = untreated surface water; 2 = untreated groundwater;**  **3 = treatment deficiency (e.g., temporary interruption of disinfection, chronically inadequate disi**  **nfection, and inadequate or no filtration);**

***Additional terms are defined in the glossary.** 4 MMWR April 12, 1996**4 = distribution system deficiency (e.g., cros s-connection, contamination of**  **water mains during construction or repair, and contamination of a storage facility); and** 

**5 = unknown or miscellaneous deficiency (e.g., contaminated bottled water).** 

**If more than one deficiency is noted on the report form for an outbreak, only the one most likely to have caused the outbreak is noted.**  **Recreational waters encompass swimming pools, whirlpools, hot tubs, spas, water parks, and naturally occurring fresh and marine surface waters. Although the surveil**  **lance system includes whirlpool- and hot tub-associated outbreaks of dermatitis caused by**  **Pseudomonas aeruginosa , it does not include wound infections resulting**  **from waterborne organisms (e.g., Aeromonas**  **species).**



## Classification of Outbreaks

**The surveillance system classifies WBDOs according to the strength of the evi**  **dence implicating water (Table 1). The classification numbers (i.e., I–IV) are based on**  **the epidemiologic data provided and the presence or absence of water-quality data on the report form. Epidemiologic data are weighted more heavily than water-quality**  **data. Thus, although some outbreaks without water-quality data were included in this** **summary, reports of the use of contaminated water were omitted if they did not pro vide supporting epidemiologic data. The classification numbers are included in the**  **line listings to indicate what data were available.**
**A classification of I means that adequ**  **ate epidemiologic and water-quality data were reported but does not necessarily imply that the investigation was optimal. Clas**  **sification numbers of II–IV do not necessarily imply that the investigations were**  **flawed; the circumstances of each outbreak differ, and not all outbreaks can or should be rigorously investigated. Outbreaks of ps**  **eudomonas der matitis and single cases of** 

TABLE 1. Classification of investigations of waterborne-disease outbreaks — United States

Class* Epidemiologic data Water-quality data

**I Adequate**  **† a) Data were provided about exposed**  **and unexposed persons; and b) the relative risk or odds ratio was**  ≥ **2, or the p-value was**  ≤ **0.05. Provided and adequate**  **Could be historical information or laboratory data (e.g., the history that a**  **chlorinator malfunctioned or a water main broke, no detectable free-chlorine**  **residual, or the presence of coliforms in the water).** 
**II Adequate Not provided or inadequate (e.g., stating that a lake was crowded).** 

**III Provided, but limited a) Epidemiologic data were provided**  **that did not meet the criteria for Class I; or b) the claim was made that ill persons had**  **no exposures in common besides water, but no data were provided.**  **Provided and adequate**

**IV Provided, but limited Not provided or inadequate**

***The classification is based on the epidemiologic and water-quality data that were provided on**

**the outbreak-report form.**

**† Adequate data were provided to implicate water as the source of the outbreak.**  Vol. 45 / No. SS-1 MMWR 5**primary amebic meningoencephalitis or of illness resulting from chemical poisoning are not classified according to this scheme.** 



## RESULTS

1993–1994 Outbreaks Associated With Drinking Water

**For the period 1993–1994, 17 states and one territory reported a total of 30 out breaks associated with drinking water. Eighteen outbreaks were reported for 1993 and** 
**12 for 1994. Thirteen (43.3%) of the 30 outbreak reports were classified as Class I (i.e., adequate**  **epidemiologic and water-quality data were provided), three (10.0%) as Class II, and 10 (33.3%) as Class III; three single cases of lead poisoning and one single case of**  **nitrate poisoning were not classified (13.3%). Outbreaks are listed individually by state (Tables 2 and 3) and are tabulated by the etiologic agent and type of water system**  **(Table 4) and by the type of deficiency and type of water system (Table 5). The months with the greatest**  **number of outbreaks (five per month each) were March, June, and August (Figure 1). The months of onset are not**  **known for two outbreaks. Seven (23.3%) of the 30 outbreaks were reported by two states, Pennsylva**  **nia (four outbreaks) and Minnesota (three). The outbreaks caused an estimated**  **405,366 persons to become ill: 403,000 persons during one outbreak and 2,366 during the other 29. The median outbreak size was 33.5 persons (range: 1–403,000). An esti**  **mated 4,442 persons were hospitalized; 4,419 of these persons had cryptosporidiosis, 22 had bacterial gastroenteritis, and one had acute gastrointestinal illness of unk**  **nown etiology (AGI). Seven persons infected with**  **Salmonella serotype Typhimurium died,**  **as did an unknown number of per sons who had cryptosporidiosis.** 



### Etiologic Agents **Twenty-two (73.3%) of the 30 outbreaks were known or suspected to be associated with infectious agents and eight (26.7%) with chemical contaminants. A protozoan**  **parasite ( G. lamblia**  **or C. parvum** **) was identified as the causative agent for 10 out breaks, representing 33.3% of the 30 outbreaks and 40.0% of the 25 WBDOs for which**  **the etiologic agent was determined.**

Cryptosporidium. **Five outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis, which resulted in illness in**  **an estimated 403,271 persons, occurred in Minnesota (one outbreak), Nevada (one), Washington (two), and Wisconsin (one). The outbreaks occurred in March (one), April**  **(one), August (two), and December (one). Three were associated with c**  **ommunity water systems and one each with either a noncommunity or an individual system;** **three systems used lake water that was filtered and chlorinated, and two used un**
**treated well water. The outbreak of cryptosporidio**  **sis in Milwaukee was the largest d**  **ocumented WBDO in the United States since record keeping began in 1920. An estimated**  **403,000 persons became ill, of whom 4,400 were hospitalized ( 11,12** **). Accurate esti mates of the number of deaths are not currently available. The outbreak was** 
**associated with water that had been filtered and chlorinated after it was obtained**  **from Lake Michigan. Deterioration in raw-water quality and decreased effectiveness of the coagulation-filtration process led to an increase in the turbidity of treated**  6 MMWR April 12, 1996Vol. 45 / No. SS-1 MMWR 7TABLE 2. Waterborne-disease outbreaks associated with drinking water — United States, 1993 (N=18)*State Month Class†Etiologic agentNo. ofcasesType ofsystem§Deficiency¶Source Setting**Arizona Jul —** Lead 1 Ind 4 Water-storage tank Private home Arizona Aug — Lead 1 Ind 4 Water-storage tank Private home** **California Nov — Lead 1 Ind 4 Water-storage tank Private home Hawaii Oct I Fluoride 9 Com 4 Well Community** **Indiana ? ††** **I Nitrate 3 §§** **Ind 2 Well Private homes Minnesota Aug II**  **Cryptosporidium parvum** **27 NCom 5 ¶¶** **Lake Resort Minnesota Nov I**  **Campylobacter jejuni 32 NCom 4** * Well Resort****Missouri Nov I Salmonella** **serotype Typhimurium** **625 Com 4*** Well Commu nity** **Mississippi Aug I Fluoride 34 Com 3 Well Community Nevada** **††† Dec** **§§§ II**  **C. parvum 103** **¶¶¶ Com 5** **¶¶ Lake Community** **New York Jun III Campylobacter jejuni** **172 Com 5 Well Subdivision Pennsylvania Jan III**  **Giardia lamblia 20 Com 3** **¶¶ Well Trailer park** **Pennsylvania Mar I AGI  65 NCom 3 Well Ski resort** **Pennsylvania Mar I Copper 43 Com 4 ¶¶** **Reservoir Hotel South Dakota Sep III**  **G. lamblia 7 Com 2 Well Subdivision** **South Dakota Sep I AGI 40 NCom 2 Well Resort Washington Apr III**  **C. parvum 7 Ind 2 Well Private home** **Wisconsin ††††** **Mar I C. parvum** **403,000 Com 3 §§§§** **Lake Community***** Refer to the Methods section for a description of the reporting variables. †** **Refer to Table 1 for information concerning the classification of outbreaks. §** **NCom=noncommunity; Com=community; Ind=individual; refer to the Methods section for definitions of the types of water systems. ¶** **Refer to the Methods section for the classification of water-system deficiencies.****** According to the classification scheme, single cases of illness resulting from chemical poisonings are not classified. ††** **The month of onset is not known for this outbreak. §§** **Three pregnant women had a total of six miscarriages. ¶¶** **The water treatment included filtration.******* The outbreak was associated with a contaminated water-storage tower. †††** **The outbreak occurred in Clark County, which in cludes Las Vegas.** **§§§ The outbreak period was estimated to extend from December 1993 through June 1994.** **¶¶¶ The outbreak involved mainly HIV-infected persons; estimates of the total number of infected persons in Clark County are not** **available (refer to the text for details).******** AGI=acute gastrointestinal illness of unknown etiology. ††††** **The outbreak occurred in Milwaukee. §§§§** **The water was inadequately filtered, but the treated water met all existing state and federal water-quality standards in effect at that time.** 8 MMWR April 12, 1996TABLE 3. Waterborne-disease outbreaks associated with drinking water — United States, 1994 (N=12)*State†Month Class§Etiologic agentNo. ofcasesType ofsystem¶Deficiency** Source Setting**Idaho Jun III Shigella flexneri 33 Ind 2 Well Private homes Indiana ?** **†† —** **§§ Nitrate 1** **¶¶ Ind 2 Well Private home** **Indiana Mar II AGI*** 118 NCom 2 Well Restaurant Maine Aug III AGI 72 NCom 2 Well Camp** **Minnesota Jun I Campylobacter jejuni** **19 NCom 2 Well Park New Hampshire May III** 

**Giardia lamblia 18 Com 3** **†† †** **Reservoir Community New Hampshire May III**  **G. lamblia 36 Com 3** **†† †** **Lake Community New York Jun III**  **Shigella sonnei 230 NCom 2 Well Camp** **Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan)** **Jun III Non-O1 Vibrio**  **cholerae 11 Com 5 Wells** **§§§ Bottled water** **Pennsylvania Sep I AGI 200 NCom 3 Well Resort Tennessee Mar I**  **G. lamblia 304 Com 4 Reservoir** **¶¶¶ Correctional** **facility Washington Aug I**  **Cryptosporidium parvum** **134 Com 2 Well Community*****Refer to the Methods section for a description of the reporting variables. †** **This also includes one territory. §** **Refer to Table 1 for information concerning the classification of outbreaks. ¶** **NCom=noncommunity; Com=community; Ind=individual; refer to the Methods section for definitions of the types of water systems.******Refer to the Methods section for the classification of water-system deficiencies. ††** **The month of onset is not known for this outbreak. §§** **According to the classification scheme, single cases of illness resulting from chemical poisonings are not classified. ¶¶** **One pregnant woman had two miscarriages.*******AGI=acute gastrointestinal illness of unknown etiology. †††** **Unfiltered surface water was used. §§§** **Water was treated with reverse osmosis; refer to the text for details of the outbreak. ¶¶¶** **In addition, spring water, which was chlorinated but not filtered, was used for source water.**TABLE 4. Waterborne-disease outbreaks associated with drinking water, by etiologic agent and type of water system — United States, 1993–1994 (N=30)*

Etiologic agent Type of water system †

Total Community Noncommunity Individual

Outbreaks Cases Outbreaks Cases Outbreaks Cases Outbreaks Cases **Cryptosporidium**

**parvum 3 403,237 1 27 1 7 5 403,271** 
**AGI §**  **0 0 5 495 0 0 5 495**
**Giardia lamblia 5 385 0 0 0 0 5 385**  **Campylobacter**

**jejuni 1 172 2 51 0 0 3 223** 
**Lead 0 0 0 0 3 3 3 3**
**Fluoride 2 43 0 0 0 0 2 43**
**Nitrate 0 0 0 0 2 4 2 4**
**Salmonella**

**serotype Typhimurium**  **1 625 0 0 0 0 1 625 Shigella sonnei**  **0 0 1 230 0 0 1 230 Copper 1 43 0 0 0 0 1 43**  **Shigella flexneri 0 0 0 0 1 33 1 33** 
**Non-O1 Vibrio** 

**cholerae 1 11 0 0 0 0 1 11** 

Total 14 404,516 9 803 7 47 30 405,366 **(Percentage ¶**  **) (46.7) (99.8) (30.0) (<1.0) (23.3) (<1.0) (100.0) (100.0)**

*** Ordered by total number of outbreaks and secondarily by total number of cases.**
**† Refer to the Methods section for definitions of the types of water systems.** 
**§ AGI=acute gastrointestinal illness of unknown etiology.** 
**¶ The percentage is based on 30 outbreaks or 405,366 cases.** 

TABLE 5. Waterborne-disease outbreaks associated with drinking water, by type of deficiency and type of water system — United States, 1993–1994 (N=30)

Type of deficiency † Type of water system*

Total Community Noncommunity Individual
No. (%) No. (%) No. (%) No. (%)

**Untreated surface water 0 ( 0.0) 0 ( 0.0) 0 ( 0.0) 0 ( 0.0) Untreated groundwater 2 ( 14.3) 5 ( 55.6) 4 ( 57.1) 11 ( 36.7)**  **Treatment 5 ( 35.7) 2 ( 22.2) 0 ( 0.0) 7 ( 23.3)**
**Distr ibution system 4 ( 28.6) 1 ( 11.1) 3 ( 42.9) 8 ( 26.7)**  **Unknown 3 ( 21.4) 1 ( 11.1) 0 ( 0.0) 4 ( 13.3)**

Total 14 (100.0) 9 (100.0) 7 (100.0) 30 (100.0)

***Refer to the Methods section for definitions of the types of water systems.**

**† Refer to the Methods section for the classification of water-system deficiencies.**  Vol. 45 / No. SS-1 MMWR 9**water* and to inadequate removal of** **C. parvum oocysts (**  **11 ). Although**  **the treated water met all state and federal quality standards that were then in effect,**  **C. parvum oocysts were found in ice blocks that were made during the outbreak period. The**  **original environmental source of the oocysts was not definitively determined. Factors that contributed to the recognition of the Milwaukee outbreak included**  **widespread absenteeism among hospital employees, students, and school tea chers;**  **increased numbers of emergency room vis its for diar**  **rheal illness; and a citywide shortage of antidiarrheal drugs. The etiologic agent and the waterborne nature of the** 
**outbreak were not identified until at least 2 weeks after the onset of the outbreak. Thereafter, a boil-water advisory was issued.**  **The outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in Clark County, Nevada, which includes Las Vegas, lasted approximately 7 months and was first recognized among persons** 
**infected with the human i mmun**  **odeficiency virus (HIV) ( 13** **). Two major factors con tributing to the detection of the outbreak were that cryptosporidiosis had been a** **reportable disease in Nevada for several years, and that many persons who have ac quired immunodeficiency syndrome live in Clark County. Cryptosporidiosis is more**  **likely to be diagnosed in such persons because they usually have severe symptoms and often have physicians who are knowledgeable about this disease and know how**  **to diagnose it. Testing for C. parvum**  **is not done routinely in most microbiology labo**
**ratories.** J FMAMJ J ASOND 

### 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7



## MonthNumber of outbreaks Infectious or suspected infectious etiology Chemical poisoning 

### Recreational water (N=26) Drinking water (N=28 )

Encephalitis Dermatitis Gastrointestinal illness

D N O S A J J M A M F J 

### 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7Number of outbreaks



## Month †

***The number of outbreaks for each month is the total for that month during the 2-year period.**
**† Two outbreaks of nitrate poisoning are not included.**  FIGURE 1. Number of waterborne-disease outbreaks, by type of water, type of etiologic agent or illness, and month — United States, 1993–1994*

***Reported values were as high as 1.7 nephelometric turbidity units; for the previous 10 years,**

**the recorded values had never exceeded 0.4 ( 11**  **). At the time of the outbreak, national standards for treated water required that 95% of all daily turbidity measurements in a m**  **onth not exceed 1.0 nephelometric turbidity unit (6 ).**  10 MMWR April 12, 1996**HIV-infected persons who were diagnosed with cryptosporidio sis dur**  **ing the out break period had an increased likelihood of dying by the end of the outbreak period** **but did not have an increased 1-year mortality rate. Data obtained during the investi gation of the outbreak indicated that cryptosporidiosis also affected non-HIV–infected** **persons. However, no estimates of the total number of persons in the general popula**
**tion who had outbreak-related illness are available. Drinking water was not implicated**  **until after the end of the outbreak; therefore, a boil-water advisory was not issued. The Nevada outbreak of cryptosporidiosis was assoc**  **iated with water obtained from Lake Mead that was filtered and chlorinated during treatment. Before and during** 
**the outbreak,**  **the water quality was much better than that required by current national standards. For example, in the 3 years before the outbreak, the mean daily turbidity**  **levels for source and treated water had been <0.2 and <0.1 nephelometric turbidity units, respectively, with no marked increases before or du**  **ring the outbreak.* Al** **though no C. parvum**  **oocysts were detected in the source or finished water during the outbreak period, presumptive oocysts were found in both types of water and in filter** **backwash that was sampled thereafter. As noted previously, the outbreak of crypto sporidiosis in Minnesota also was associated with filtered and chlorinated lake water;**  **C. parvum oocysts and**  **G. lamblia cysts were found in lake water but not in finished** 

**water. The two outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis in Washi**  **ngton were associated with well water. The first outbreak, which occurred in 1993, was associated with untreated water**  **from a shallow well that was contaminated by surface water. The second outbreak, in 1994, was associated with a damaged irrigation system that allowed treated waste**  **water to flow into a well. For both outbreaks, presumptive C. parvum**  **oocysts were found in the well water. In addition, for one of these outbreaks, fecal coliforms were**  **found; for the other, total coliforms were found.** 

Giardia. **The five outbreaks of giardiasis associated with drinking water affected an estimated 385 persons and were reported from New Hampshire (two outbreaks),**  **Pennsylvania (one), South Dakota (one), and Tennessee (one). The outbreaks occurred in January (one), March (one), May (two), and September (one). All were associated**  **with community water sy stems; three were associated with surface water and two** 
**with well water. The two outbreaks of giardiasis in New Hampshire were associated with unfiltered,**  **chlorinated surface water. For one outbreak, water from a reservoir tested positive for**
**G. lamblia . For the other outbreak, finished water was positive for total coliforms. For**  **both outbreaks, some of the cases were geographically clustered close to the sites where the water was chlorinated (i.e., 27.8% of the former and 50.0% of the latter**  **cases were clustered along proximal portions of the main l ines of the respective dis**  **tribution systems). This suggests that, for these cases, the chlorine contact time was inadequate.** **In Tennessee, a cross-connection between potable and waste-water lines was asso ciated with an outbreak of giardiasis in a correctional facility (**  **14 ). Potable water was**  **used to cool the seals of a waste-water pump; a fall in pressure in the potable-water system probably caused waste water to flow back**  **into the potable-water line. Sub**  **sequently, high levels of G. lamblia**  **cysts were found in tap water (581 cysts/L). Of**

***Current national standards for treated water require that 95% of all daily turbidity measure**

**ments in a month not exceed 0.5 nephelometric turbidity units ( 6**  **).** Vol. 45 / No. SS-1 MMWR 11**424 stool specimens collected from persons in the correctional facility, 110 (25.9%) were positive for**  **G. lamblia and 42 others (9.9%) for**  **Entamoeba histolytica**

**. The outbreak of giardiasis in Pennsylvania was associated with filtered and chlori**  **nated well water that was contaminated with sewage. Tests indicated that G. lamblia** 
**and E. coli**  **were present in tap water. The outbreak in South Dakota was attributed to untreated well water contaminated by water from a nearby creek;**  **G. lamblia was**  **found in the well water, and fecal coliforms were found in both well and tap water.**

Bacteria. **Seven outbreaks were caused by bacteria; five of these outbreaks were associated with untreated well water, one with chlorinated well water, and one with**  **bottled water. The outbreak in Missouri that was caused by Salmonella**  **serotype Typhimurium resulted in**  **illness in an es timated total of 625 persons, including 15 per**  **sons who were hospitalized and seven who died. The most likely source for the outbreak was the larger of two storage towers, which was i**  **nadequately protected from wild-bird droppings.**  **S. Typhimurium was isolated from the sediment of one of** **the towers, and tap water was positive for fecal coliforms. The 1993 outbreak in Min nesota that was caused by**  **Campylobacter jejuni was associated with untreated well**  **water, which probably was contaminated in a storage tower that had been cleaned the previous month. During the investigation of this outbreak, fecal coliforms were**  **found in water from the storage tower.**  **In Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, an outbreak caused by non-O1**  **Vibrio cholerae**
**and associated with contaminated bottled water caused illness in 11 persons, four of**  **whom were hospitalized. Because public tap water in most l ocales in Saipan is too**  **salty to be drinkable, two commercial bottled-water plants treat municipal water* with** **reverse osmosis to supply drinking water to the public. Although the bottles were to have been cleaned by machine or manually with hot water and a chlorine solution, the**  **bottling plants had occasionally been cited for the cursory handling of returned bottles (e.g., for only rinsing them with treated water). During the outbreak period, bottled**  **water tested positive for fecal coliforms. The source of the contamination was not**
**determined.**

Chemicals. **Eight outbreaks of chemical poisoning were reported, three of which were individual cases of lead poisoning. Two of these three cases were detected by a**  **lead-screening program. The three cases were in infants who had blood-lead levels of**

**15** μ **g/dL, 37** μ **g/dL, and 42** μ **g/dL. CDC’s level of concern is 10** μ **g/dL ( 15**  **). For all three cases, lead had leached from brass fittings and lead-soldered seams in drinking-water**  **storage tanks ( 16**  **). The three water systems used highly demineralized drinking water that had intensified the leaching process. The cases are counted separately (Table 2)**  **because it is not known whether lead had leached from the storage tanks because of the way they were manufactured (at least two of the storage tanks were made by the**  **same company) or because of repairs or other changes made to them after they left the manufacturer(s).**  **In the two outbreaks of fluoride poisoning (i.e., in Mississippi and Hawaii), more than half the exposed persons became ill (34 of 62 and 9 of 16, respectively). Symp**  **toms included nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache, and dizziness. For both outbreaks, the water was accidentally overdosed with fluoride because the fluorida** 
**tion chemical was si phoned through**  **the pump into the drinking water. This resulted in**

***The municipal water supply uses several dozen wells, some of which tested positive for fecal**

**coliforms.** 12 MMWR April 12, 1996**tap-water levels of fluoride in the Mississippi outbreak of 48–200 mg/L and in Hawaii of 220 mg/L. When levels exceed 10 mg/L, the fluoridation system should be turned off**  **immediately ( 17**  **). Elevated copper levels in tap water were associated with gastrointestinal illness in**  **at least 43 persons at a hotel. With the exception of one water sample that had a copper level of 156 mg/L, the highest copper level documented for the many other**  **tested samples was 4.7 mg/L (EPA’s action level is 1.3 mg/L [ 18**  **]). The source of copper was the plumbing system within the building. Prolonged stagnation of the water in the**  **pipes contributed to the outbreak. In Indiana, two episodes of nitrate poisoning were associated with eight miscar**  **riages. In the first episode, three women living within 1 mile (1.6 km) of each other reported a total of six m**  **iscarriages during 1993 and 1994 (W.F. Grant, personal com munication, 1996). Five of the miscarriages occurred in the eighth gestational week,**  **and one occurred in the eleventh. All three women drank water from private wells on their premises; all three wells tapped the same aquifer, which probably was contami**  **nated by a leaking waste pit on a nearby hog farm. Water from the three wells had high nitrate (nitrate-nitrogen or NO**  **3 -N) levels: 19.0 mg/L, 19.2 mg/L, and 26.0 mg/L.** 

**EPA’s maxi mum-contaminant level is 10 mg/L (**  **4 ). Additional testing of well water did**  **not demonstrate elevated levels of volatile or semi-volatile organics, pesticides, heavy metals, or coliform bacteria. All three**  **women delivered full -term babies after switch**  **ing to nitrate-free sources of drinking water. During the same period, five women who lived in the same geographic area and who had wells with nitrate levels ranging from**  **1.6 mg/L to 8.4 mg/L (median: 1.7 mg/L) had five normal pregnancies. In the second episode (1994), a woman with five children had two miscarriages** **within a 6-month period after moving to a new residence in Indiana, which was lo cated about 12 miles (19 km) from the residences of the three**  **women described in the first episode. Both of these pregnancies terminated in their eighth week. The private**  **well at her residence had a nitrate level of 28.7 mg/L and was thought to have been**  **contaminated by the family’s septic system.**

Unidentified Etiologic Agent. **No etiologic agent was identified for five (16.7%) of the 30 WBDOs associated with drinking water. The illnesses associated with two of** 
**these outbreaks had incubation periods, durations, and symptom complexes that**  **were consistent with viral syndromes. For the four outbreaks for which testing was done, stool s**  **pecimens were negative for bacterial pathogens. Three outbreaks were associated with untreated well water and the other two with inadequate chlorination**  **of unfiltered well water. For four outbreaks, fecal coliforms were found in water samples.** 



### Water-Quality Data**Water-quality data (e.g., information as to the presence of coliform bacteria, patho gens, or chemical contaminants) were obtained**  ≤ **1 month after the onset of the outbreak for 28 outbreaks and later for the two episodes of nitrate poisoning. Water**  **samples were tested for coliform bacteria for 21 of the 22 WBDOs that had a known or suspected infectious etiology; the samples were positive for total or fecal coliforms for** **16 (76.2%) of the 21 outbreaks. Coliforms were detected for 11 (91.7%) of the 12 out breaks of bacterial or unknown etiology but for only five (55.6%) of the nine protozoan**  **outbreaks for which testing was done. For these nine outbreaks, coliforms were** Vol. 45 / No. SS-1 MMWR 13**detected for two of the six systems with chlorinated water but for all three with un**
**treated water. For three of the nine outbreaks,**  **water was positive for C. parvum**  **; for another three, it was positive for**  **G. lamblia . For one (14.3%) of the seven outbreaks**  **with a bacterial etiology, the pathogen ( Salmonella**  **) was isolated from the water.**



### Water System and Water Source **Fourteen (46.7%) of the 30 WBDOs were associated with community systems, nine (30.0%) with noncommunity systems, and seven (23.3%) with individ**  **ual systems (Tables 4, 5, Figure 2). In contrast, for 1991–1992, more of the reported WBDOs were**  **associated with noncommunity (64.3%) than with community systems (26. 2%) (**  **2 , up**  **dated with data from previously unreported outbreaks). During 1993–1994, outbreaks in noncommunity systems were more likely**  **than those in community systems to be associated with untreated water (55.6% versus 14.3%). Eight (88.9%) of the nine out**  **breaks in the noncommunity systems were associated with well-water sources, as were eight (57.1%) of the 14 community outbreaks.**  **Of the 22 outbreaks with a known or suspected infectious etiology, 16 (72.7%) occurred in systems using well water, and six (27.3%) were associated with a surface**  **water source. For 11 (68.8%) of the 16 well-water systems associated with the outbreaks, the water was untreated. For four (25.0%) of these 16 systems, all of which** **used chlorine for disinfection, inadequate or interrupted disinfection was the defi ciency identified or suspected (e.g., coliforms, which are chlorine sensitive, were**  **present in tap water). For one of these four systems, deficiencies in filtration also were suspected. For one (6.3%) of the 16 systems (i.e., in Saipan), no treatment deficiency** 

**was noted.**



## Water Source

Well 66.7%

Surface water 23.3% Other 10.0% 

## Water System

Noncommunity 30.0% Individual 23.3% Community 46.7%



## Deficiency

Untreated groundwater 36.7%

Treatment deficiency

23.3% Unknown 13.3% 

## Etiologic Agent

Parasitic

33.3% Chemical

26.7%

Bacterial 23.3% Unidentified 16.7%

Distribution system 26.7%



## N=30 FIGURE 2. Waterborne-disease outbreaks associated with drinking water, by etiologic agent, water system, water source, and deficiency — United States, 1993–1994 14 MMWR April 12, 1996**Six (85.7%) of the seven outbreaks associated with a lake or reservoir (i.e., surface water sources) were caused by**  **C. parvum (three outbreaks) or**  **G. lamblia (three). Each**  **of the six systems associated with these six outbreaks provided chlorination, and four also provided filtration. In the filtered systems, deficiencies in the distribution system**  **were identified for one outbreak, inadequate filtration was identified for one, and no deficiencies were identified for two. In the two unfiltered systems associated with out**  **breaks of giardiasis, an inadequate contact time with the disinfectant was suspected.**



## 1993–1994 Outbreaks Associated With Recreational Water

**For the period 1993–1994, 14 states reported a total of 26 outbreaks associated with recreational water (Tables 6,7). Fourteen outbreaks were reported for 1993 and 12 for**  **1994. Three of the 14 states submitted 14 (53.8%) of the 26 reports: Minnesota**  **(seven outbreaks), Wisconsin (four), and New Jersey (three). For the 2-year reporting period, the months with the greatest number of outbreaks were July (six) and August**  **(five) (Figure 1). All 14 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness occurred during the**  **months of April through September. Eight of the 11 outbreaks of dermatitis (i.e., rash or folliculitis), which were associated with hot tubs, whirlpools, and swimming pools,**  **occurred during the relatively colder months of November through March.**
**The 26 outbreaks caused illness in an estimated 1,714 persons. The median**  **outbreak size was 32.5 persons (range: 1–418). The types of reported illnesses in**  **cluded gastroenteritis (14 outbreaks), dermatitis (11), and meningoencephalitis (one). Fifteen persons reportedly were hospitalized. The one child who had amebic menin**  **goencephalitis died. The etiologic agent was identified for all 14 outbreaks of swimming-associated gas**  **troenteritis (Table 6, Figure 3). Ten (71.4%) of the 14 outbreaks were caused by the protozoan parasites**  **C. parvum (six outbreaks)**  **and G. lamblia**  **(four). Five of the**

**six C. parvum**  **outbreaks were associated with motel (three) or community (two) swimming pools that were filtered and chlorinated (**  **19,20 ). For four of these five** **outbreaks, no treatment deficiencies were identified in the pools; for the other, a mal functioning filter was found. For two of these five, water was tested and was negative** 
**for C. parvum**  **. The tested water, however, had been obtained approximately 2 weeks after the onset of the outbreaks; for one of the**  **outbreaks, water samples were not**  **collected until after the pool had been hyperchlorinated. The first reported U.S. outbreak of cryptosporidiosis li**  **nked to the recreational use of lake water occurred in New Jersey during the summer (1994) and lasted >4 weeks.**  **In this outbreak, C. parvum**  **was detected in lake-water samples obtained 5 weeks after the end of the outbreak period.** 
**The four G. lamblia**  **outbreaks were related to unintentional ingestion of water from two lakes (two outbreaks), a river (one), and a community swimming pool and wading**  **pool (one). In the latter outbreak, which lasted >3 months, intermittent breakdowns of the swimming pool’s filter and lack of water filtration in the wading pool were noted.**  **Water samples from the two lakes that were associated with outbreaks were negative**
**for G. lamblia.**  **However, samples from one lake were obtained 2 weeks after the onset**
**of the outbreak, and samples**  **from the other lake were obtained 4 weeks after the outbreak began.**  **Four outbreaks of gastroenter itis were attrib**  **uted to bacterial pathogens and**  **were associated with swimming in lakes. S. sonnei**  **was implicated for two of these** Vol. 45 / No. SS-1 MMWR 1516 MMWR April 12, 1996TABLE 6. Waterborne-disease outbreaks of gastroenteritis and meningoencephalitis associated with recreational water — UnitedStates, 1993–1994 (N=15)State Year Month Class* Illness Etiologic agentNo. ofcases Source Setting**Indiana 1994 Jun I Gastroenter** **itis Giardia lamblia** **80 Pool Community Maryland** **1993 Jul II Gastroenter itis**  **G. lamblia 12 Lake Park** **Minnesota 1994 May II Gastroenter** **itis Shigella**  **flexneri 35 Lake Park** **Missouri 1994 Jul I Gastroenter itis**  **Cryptosporidium parvum 101 Pool Motel** **New Jersey 1993 Sep IV Gastroenter** **itis G. lamblia** **43 Lake Swim club New Jersey** **1994 Jun II Gastroenter itis**  **Shigella sonnei** **242 Lake Park New Jersey** **1994 Jul I Gastroenter itis**  **C. parvum 418 Lake Park** **New York 1994 Jul II Gastroenter** **itis Escherichia coli** **O157:H7 166 Lake Camp Ohio** **1993 Jul III Gastroenter itis**  **S. sonnei** **160 Lake Park Texas** **1994 Jul — †** **Meningoencephalitis Naegleria fowleri** **1 Pond/river Rural area Washington** **1993 Aug III Gastroenter itis**  **G. lamblia 6 River River** **Wisconsin 1993 Apr II Gastroenter** **itis C. parvum** **51 Pool Motel Wisconsin** **1993 Aug II Gastroenter itis**  **C. parvum 5 Pool Community** **Wisconsin 1993 Aug II Gastroenter** **itis C. parvum** **54 Pool Community Wisconsin** **1993 Aug II Gastroenter itis**  **C. parvum 64 Pool Motel** ***Refer to Table 1 for information concerning the classification of outbreaks. †** **According to the classification scheme, single cases of primary amebic meningoencephalitis are not classified.**Vol. 45 / No. SS-1 MMWR 17TABLE 7. Waterborne-disease outbreaks of dermatitis associated with recreational water — United States, 1993–1994 (N=11)State Year Month Class* Etiologic agentNo. ofcases Source Setting**Alaska 1993 Aug —** **† Pseudomonas**  **aeruginosa §** **4 ¶** **Hot tub Bed & breakfast Alaska** **1993 Dec — P. aeruginosa** **2 Pool/whirlpool Resort Colorado 1994 Feb —**  **P. aeruginosa 10 Hot tub Ski resort** **Minnesota 1993 Jan — P. aeruginosa** **§ 14 Hot tub Hotel** **Minnesota 1993 Mar — P. aeruginosa** **§ 6 Hot tub Hotel** **Minnesota 1993 Apr — P. aeruginosa** **§ 15 Pool School** **Minnesota 1993 May — P. aeruginosa** **53 ¶** **Pool School Minnesota 1994 Jan II Chemical**  9 Pool Hotel****Minnesota 1994 Feb — P. aeruginosa** **30 Pool Hotel South Dakota 1994 Mar —**  **P. aeruginosa 113** **†† Pool/hot tub Lodge** **Utah 1994 Nov IV Chemical** 20 Pool Hospital*****Refer to Table 1 for information concerning the classification of outbreaks. †** **According to the classification scheme, outbreaks of pseudomonas dermatitis are not classified. §** **The clinical syndrome was consistent with that caused by P. aeruginosa** **. ¶** **This includes patients with otitis externa.******The clinical syndrome was suggestive of a chemical etiology. ††** **This includes patients with otitis externa and pharyngitis. outbreaks,**  **S. flexneri for one, and**  **E. coli O157:H7**  **for one. The latter was the second reported outbreak in the United States of**  **E. coli O157:H7 associated with recreational**  **water ( 2**  **). For the outbreak in New Jersey that was caused by**  **S. sonnei , water samples ob**  **tained 4 weeks after the onset of the outbreak were negative for the etiologic agent.**
**For the outbreak in Ohio that was caused by**  **S. sonnei , water samples demonstrated**  **high fecal-coliform counts. The presence of many bathers and poor water exchange were contributing factors for at least one of the four outbreaks. For another, lake water** **used in a shower frequented by toddlers was circulated back into the lake; high fecal**
**coliform counts were found in water from the shower’s drain basin.**  **An estimated 247 persons were affected in nine outbreaks of dermatitis that were associated with hot tubs, whirlpools, or swimming pools. These nine outbreaks had a**  **known or suspected infectious etiology (Table 7). P. aeruginosa**  **was confirmed as the etiologic agent in five of the outbreaks and was**  **suspected (based on the clinical syndrome) in the other four. In six of these nine investigations, water samples demon**  **strated low chlorine levels, the presence of Pseudomonas**  **, or both. The two outbreaks of probable chemical dermatitis affected an estimated 29 per**  **sons. These outbreaks were associated with incorrect dosing of acidifying chemicals used for correcting the pH of the swimmi**  **ng-pool water or with addition of unspecified chemicals for removing excess chloramines.** **One case of fatal primary amebic meningoencephalitis was associated with swim ming in both a waste-water holding pond and in the Rio Grande River. The etiologic**  spp. 21.4% Lake 50%

River 7.1% Cryptosporidium
parvum

Giardia lamblia 

## Etiologic Agent

Escherichia coli 

## Type of Exposure

Swimming pool 42.9% O157:H7

28.6% 42.9%

7.1%



## N=14 Shigella FIGURE 3. Waterborne-disease outbr eaks of gastroenteritis associated with recreational water, by etiologic agent and type of exposure — United States,
1993–1994 18 MMWR April 12, 1996**agent, Naegleria fowleri**  **, was found in the child’s cerebrospinal fluid and in both the pond and the river.** 



## Previously Unreported Outbreaks

**Reports of 12 previously unpublished WBDOs from 1992 also were received (Tables 8, 9). For the eight**  **outbreaks associated with drinking water, an estimated 220 persons were reported ill, six of**  **whom were hospitaliz ed. One outbreak caused by** 
**S. sonnei was associated with untreated water from a no**  **ncommunity well and another with an individual cistern. An outbreak caused by hepatitis A virus was asso**  **ciated with an untreated supply of well water (noncommunity) and is the only**  **outbreak in this surveillance summary in which a viral pathogen was identified ( 21**  **). Two outbreaks of AGI were associated with noncommunity well-water systems; for** **both, coliforms were found in tap water. For one of these outbreaks, the clinical fea tures were consistent with a viral syn**  **drome. Three ou tbreaks of gastrointestinal**  **illness were associated with newly installed, copper plu mbing**  **systems. For these three outbreaks, tap water had elevated levels of copper (**  **22 ).** 

**The four WBDOs associated with recreational water caused an estimated total of 203 persons to become**  **ill, one of whom was hospitali zed. Two outbreaks of gastroen**  **teritis caused by S. sonnei**  **were associated with swimming in lakes;**  **high total coliform counts were found in the swimming areas of both lakes. In the New Jersey**  **outbreak caused by S. sonnei**  **, a bulkhead had been placed in the lake, which essen tially created a swim**  **ming pool that had insufficient exch ange of w**  **ater. In a third report, no etiologic agent was identified for an outbreak of AGI associated with swim**  **ming in a pool at a water park; the clinical features were consistent with a viral**  **syndrome. Before the outbreak, muddy r**  **un-off from a landscaping project had caused the pool’s filter to break down. In a fourth report, a clinical syndrome consistent with**  **schistosomal dermatitis (i.e., swimmer’s itch) was noted for a New Jersey outbreak associated with swimming in a lake.** 

TABLE 8. Waterborne-disease outbreaks associated with drinking water that were not included in the previous surveillance summary — United States, 1992 (N=8)*

State Month Class † Etiologic agent No. of

cases Type of system § Deficiency ¶ Source Setting
**Minnesota May I AGI** 70 NCom 5 Well Hotel**
**Missouri Jan III Shigella**  **sonnei 5 Ind 4 Cistern Private**  **home Missouri Apr III Hepatitis**  **A virus 46 NCom 2 Well School/**  **church**
**Missouri Jul I S. sonnei**  **11 NCom 4 Well Campground Pennsylvania May I AGI 50 NCom 3 Well Camp**  **Wisconsin Jan I Copper 24 Com 4 Well Subdivision Wisconsin Sep I Copper 8 Com 4 Lake Building**  **Wisconsin Dec III Copper 6 Com 5 Well House** ***Refer to the Methods section for a description of the reporting variables.**

**† Refer to Table 1 for information concerning the classification of outbreaks.** 
**§ NCom=noncommunity; Com=community; Ind=individual; refer to the Methods section for** 

**definitions of the types of water systems. ¶**  **Refer to the Methods section for the classification of water-system deficiencies.**   AGI=acute gastrointestinal illness of unknown etiology.**  Vol. 45 / No. SS-1 MMWR 19

## Outbreaks Not Classified as Waterborne-Disease Outbreaks

**Outbreaks a ttri**  **buted to drinking water that was contaminated at its point of use rather than at its source or in its distribution system traditionally are not classified as**  **WBDOs. Three such outbreaks of AGI were reported; they caused illness in a total of 376 persons. The outbreaks were associated with the contamination of two water**  **jugs, a water hose, or ice from an ice chest. Data relating to 10 other possible WBDOs were not included. One of these out**  **breaks was more likely to have been foodborne than waterborne, and one was a**  **report of two cases of leptospirosis among persons exposed to flood waters during clean-up operations (**  **23 ). For eight of these possible WBDOs, inadequate data were**  **provided (i.e., the outbreaks did not meet the criteria for Classes I–IV).**



## DISCUSSION

General Considerations About Surveillance Data for Waterborne-Disease Outbreaks

**The surveillance data, which identify the types of water systems, their deficiencies, and the respective etiologic**  **agents associated with the ou tbreaks, are useful for** **evaluating the adequacy of current technologies for providing safe drinking and rec reational water. However, the data in this surveillance summary are subject to at least**  **one important limi tation: they probably do not reflect the true incidence of WBDOs or**  **the relative incidence of outbreaks caused by various etiologic agents. Not all WBDOs may be recognized, investigated, and/or reported to CDC or EPA, and the extent to**  **which WBDOs are unrecognized and underreported is unknown.**
**The likeli hood**  **that individual cases of illness will be epidemiologically linked and associated with water varies considerably among locales and is dependent on factors** **such as public awareness, physician interest, availability of laboratory-testing facili ties, and surveillance activities of state and local health and environmental agencies.**  **Therefore, the states that report the most outbreaks may not be those in which the most outbreaks occur. Recognition of WBDOs also is dependent on certain outbreak** **characteristics; outbreaks involving serious illness are most likely to receive the atten tion of health authorities. In cities, large outbreaks are more likely to be recognized**  TABLE 9. Waterborne-disease outbreaks associated with recreational water that were not included in the previous surveillance summary — United States, 1992 (N=4)*

State Month Class † Illness Etiologic agent No. of cases Source Setting

**California Aug I Gastroenteritis AGI §**  **100 Pool Water park New Jersey Jun I Gastroenteritis**  **Shigella sonnei 54 Lake Campground** 

**New Jersey Jul III Dermatitis Schistosoma** 
**sp. ¶**  **40 Lake Lake**

**Virginia Jul III Gastroenteritis S. sonnei**  **9 Lake Camp**

***Refer to the Methods section for a description of the reporting variables.**

**† Refer to Table 1 for information concerning the classification of outbreaks.** 
**§ AGI=acute gastrointestinal illness of unknown etiology.**  **¶ The clinical syndrome was consistent with that caused by a**  **Schistosoma sp.**  20 MMWR April 12, 1996**than sporadic cases or small outbreaks in which ill persons may consult different physicians. Outbreaks associated with c**  **ommunity water sys tems are more likely to be**  **recognized than those associated with no ncommunity**  **systems because the latter**
**serve nonresidential areas and transient populations. Outbreaks associated with indi**  **vidual systems are the most likely to be underreported because they generally involve few persons. Outbreaks of acute diseases, particularly those characterized by a short**  **incubation period, are more readily identified than those associated with disease from chronic, low-level exposure to an agent (e.g., a chemical).** **The identification of the etiologic agent of a WBDO is dependent on the timely rec ognition of the outbreak so that appropriate clinical and environmental samples can**  **be obtained. The interests and expertise of investigators and the routine practices of local laboratories also influence whether the etiologic agent is identified. For example,**  **diarrheal stool specimens generally are examined for bacterial pathogens but not for viruses. In most laboratories, testing for**  **C. parvum is done only on request and is not**  **included in routine stool examinations for ova and parasites. The water-quality data that are collected vary widely among outbreak investigations, depending on such fac**  **tors as available fiscal, investigative, and laboratory resources. Furthermore, a few large outbreaks may substantially alter the relative proportion of cases of waterborne**  **disease attributed to a particular agent. The number of reported cases is generally an approximate figure, and the method and accuracy of the approximation vary**  **among outbreaks.** 



## 1993–1994 Outbreaks Associated With Drinking Water
**The numbers of outbreaks reported for 1993 (18) and 1994 (12) are comparable with those reported for recent years**  **(except for 1992). With the addition of previously un**  **reported outbreaks, 27 WBDOs have been reported for 1992 (the highest number since 1984), 15 for 1991, 14 for 1990, and 13 for 1989 (**  **2,3 ). WBDO reports peaked during** **1979–1983 (Figures 4, 5). The increase and subsequent decrease in the number of re ports may reflect, at least in part, changes in surveillance activities rather than a**  **deterioration or an improvement in water systems ( 24**  **). Having only 16.7% of the WBDOs reported for 1993–1994 of unknown etiology (i.e., AGI outbreaks) is unprece**  **dented for the last 24 years (Figure 4). All AGI outbreaks occurred in nonc ommunity**  **systems, which underscores the difficulty of investig ating outbreaks affecting the**  **transient populations that typically use the water from these systems. The massive**  **outbreak in Milwaukee highlights the need for surveillance methods that facilitate the early detection of outbreaks and the prompt institution of preventive measures (e.g.,**  **boil-water advisories). This outbreak also demonstrates that WBDOs are not restricted to small communities, in which WBDOs are often attributed to a lack of proper equip**  **ment or inadequately trained operators. As in previous years, protozoan parasites were the most frequently identified etio**  **logic agents; for the period 1993–1994, C. parvum**  **and G. lamblia**  **were each identified**
**for five outbreaks. The increased number of reported outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis in**  **recent years may reflect the growing awareness that C. parvum**  **can be transmitted by the waterborne route. For the period 1976–1994 as a whole,**  **G. lamblia was the most**  **frequently identified etiologic agent for outbreaks associated with drinking water. The occurrence of the two outbreaks of giardiasis in New Hampshire (1994) underscores**  **the importance of requiring water systems that use unfiltered surface water to provide** Vol. 45 / No. SS-1 MMWR 21**an adequate chlorine concentration and contact time (as specified by the SWTR) to inactivate relatively chlorine-resistant organisms such as**  **G. lamblia (**  **25 ).**  **C. parvum oocysts have been detected in 65%–97% of the surface-water supplies**  **throughout the United States that have been tes ted recently (**  **26–28 ). Because**  **C. par**

**vum is highly resistant to the chemical d**  **isinfectants typically used to treat drinking** **water,* the physical removal of the parasite by filtration (e.g., rapid-granular, slow** **sand, or membrane filtration) is an important component of the mun icipal**  **water-treat ment process. Rapid-granular filtration with sand or some other media, alone or in**  **combination, is used by many municipalities as part of their conventional treatment of surface water. To be effective in removing oocysts, rapid-granular filtration must be**  **preceded by chemical coagulation and the treatment must be optimized to remove particles. Even when done appropriately, rapid-granular filtration cannot guarantee**  **the removal of all the oocysts. Some major cities use surface-water sources but do not filter their water (e.g., Bos**  **ton, New York City, Portland, San Francisco, and Seattle). They are, however, either proceeding with plans to filter their water, or, based on criteria set forth in the SWTR,**  **are not required to filter it. From 1984 through 1992, all reported U.S. outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis associ**  **ated with drinking water occurred in communities whose water**  **utilities met the then-current state and federal standards for acceptable drinking-water quality. The**  **surface-water supplies t hat were implicated in these outbreaks had been filtered**  

### 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 0 10 20 30 40 50 60



## YearNumber of outbreaks 

### AGI*

Parasitic

Bacterial

Viral

Chemical N=647

***Acute gastrointestinal illness of unknown etiology.** FIGURE 4. Number of waterborne-disease outbreaks associated with drinking water, by year and etiologic agent — United States, 1971–1994

***For example, at 77 F (25 C) and pH 7, the chlorine contact time to inactivate 99% of C. parvum** 

**oocysts is 7,200 (mg/L) x min ( 29**  **).** 22 MMWR April 12, 1996**( 2,30–32** **). In 1993 and 1994, the water systems implicated in the three surface water associated outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis also met federal and state standards. The**  **occurrence of such outbreaks indicates that compliance with EPA’s water- treatment standards (e.g., for turbidity and coliform counts) did not adequately protect against**  **waterborne cryptosporidiosis. For example, C. parvum**  **can be present in chlorinated water despite the absence of coliforms. That coliforms were detected for only 55.6%**  **of the protozoan outbreaks (vs. for 91.6% of the outbreaks of bacterial or unk nown**  **etiology) suggests that the use of coliforms as indicators of protozoan contamination is not reliable. Efforts to reduce the risk for WBDOs of cryptosporidiosis should focus**  **on the protection of source water, the removal of oocysts by filtration, and research to identify effective and affordable disinfection procedures.** **Decreased filtration effectiveness, combined with deterioration in raw-water qual ity, contributed to the outbreak of cryptosporidio**  **sis in Mi lwaukee. Optimal filtration**  **requires frequent, if not continuous, moni toring of the water’s turbidity**  **both before filtration (i.e., after coagulation, flocculation, and/or settling) and after filtration. In ad**  **dition, the quality of the source water should be frequently assessed and the amount of added coagulant appropriately adjusted.**  **More stringent EPA standards for acceptable turbidity values, which serve as an index of the effectiveness of filtration, have become effective in all states since the**  **Milwaukee outbreak ( 6**  **). The water utility in Milwaukee, at the time of the outbreak, would not have met these new standards. Recent investigations, however, have dem** 
**onstrated small numbers of C. parvum**  **oocysts in fully treated (i.e., filtered and** 

### 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 0 10 20 30 40 50 60



## YearNumber of outbreaks 

### Individual
Noncommunity
Community N=647 FIGURE 5. Number of waterborne-disease outbreaks associated with drinking water, by year and type of water system — United States, 1971–1994 Vol. 45 / No. SS-1 MMWR 23**disinfected) water from 27%–54% of the municipal treatment plants studied, most of which met the new standards (**  **33,34 ).**  **A workshop sponsored by CDC and EPA on waterborne cryptosporidiosis was held** **in Atlanta in September 1994* to discuss newly proposed EPA regulations and the**
**health risks associa ted with drinking tap water contaminated with small numbers of**  **oocysts ( 35,36**  **). Those attending the workshop concluded that the magnitude of the risk posed by these oocysts could not yet be assessed because of several factors, in**  **cluding uncertainty about**  **the viability or infectivity of the oocysts, the infectious dose for immunocompetent and immunocompromised persons, and the possibility of**  **strain variability in the infectious dose and in the ability to cause disease. The results of a study that used a**  **C. parvum strain derived from calves suggested that the infec**  **tious dose of oocysts for healthy persons is small (i.e., a median of 132 oocysts) ( 37**  **). Information based on mathematical modeling suggests that some persons might be**  **come infected if exposed to even one oocyst ( 38**  **). Until the magnitude of the risk for waterborne cryptosporidiosis is better characterized or until effective procedures for**  **removing oocysts from water are identified, severely immunocompromised persons should be provided with educational material about the potential risk for waterborne**  **disease and the strategies for prevention ( 39,40**  **). During 1993–1994, five of the seven outbreaks caused by bacterial agents occurred**  **in systems that used untreated well water. D uring 1991–1992, all three outbreaks** **caused by bacteria and the two caused by hepatitis A virus were associated with un treated well or cistern water. Adequate, continuous disinfection of groundwater used** **for drinking water should reduce the occurrence of WBDOs, particularly for small sys tems in which intermittent contamination of wells and springs is difficult to detect or** **prevent. In addition, wells and springs should be protected from sources of contami nation such as surface runoff, septic-tank drainage, and sewage discharges.** 
**The two outbreaks in Minnesota and Missouri in 1993 associated with contami nated storage towers are reminders that stored water sho**  **uld be protected from contamination (e.g., by feces from birds and small mammals). They also demonstrate**  **that, to prevent flushing of sediment or stagnant water from storage towers into the**  **distribution system, caution should be exercised when such towers are cleaned. The three cases of lead poisoning in infants were included in this summary be** 
**cause blood-lead levels at least as low as 10** μ **g/dL are associated with adverse health effects (**  **15,41 ). Lead is particularly harmful to the developing brain and nervous sys**  **tem of fetuses and young children; elevated blood-lead levels are associated with**  **decreased intelligence and impaired neurobehavioral development. The three cases of lead poisoning and the one**  **outbreak of copper poi soning underscore the impor**  **tance of using appropriate materials in household plumbing systems. The two**  **outbreaks of fluoride poisoning highlight the need for appropriate design (e.g., the incorporation of antisiphon devices) and maintenance of water-fluoridation systems,**  **as well as for monitoring fluoride levels in water ( 42**  **). The two episodes of an association between miscarriages and elevated nitrate lev**  **els in drinking water are the first such episodes to be reported to the WBDO surveillance system. Although ingestion of water with high nitrate levels is known to**  **cause methemoglobinemia in infants ( 43**  **), little information is currently available**

**about the effects of nitrate on fetal development in humans. A recent, geographically** 

***The workshop was attended by more than 300 persons from 26 organizations (e.g., the water**

**industry; state and local health departments; AIDS interest gro**  **ups; and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and other federal agencies).**  24 MMWR April 12, 1996**based survey of 5,536 private wells serving individual households in nine Midwestern**
**states demonstrated that 13% of the wells had nitrate levels in excess of EPA’s maximum-contaminant level (CDC, unpublished da**  **ta). The two episodes reported in this surveillance summary raise questions about the importance of nitrate as a cause** **of miscarriages and the need to provide both educational information regarding ni trate in drinking water and affordable access to water-testing services.**  **During 1993–1994, only eight outbreaks/cases of chemical poisoning were reported to CDC. For 1993 alone, however, the American Association of Poison Control Centers** **reported 791 nitrate and nitrite poisonings, 887 copper poisonings, and 5,675 poison ings associated with swimming pools (**  **44 ). Although their report does not provide**  **information as to whether these poisonings were waterborne, some of the nitrate and many of the copper poisonings may have been associated with drinking water.**  **Several reasons may help explain why waterborne chemical poisonings are rarely reported to CDC: a) most poisonings of this nature (e.g., those associated with the** **leaching of lead or copper from plumbing systems) probably occur in private resi dences, affect relatively few persons and, thus, might not come to the attention of**  **public health officials; b) exposure to chemicals via drinking water may cause illness that is difficult to attribute to chemical intoxication, or it may cause nonspecific symp**  **toms that are difficult to link to a specific agent; and c) the mechanisms for detecting waterborne chemical poisonings and reporting them to the WBDO surveillance sys**  **tem are not as well established as they are for WBDOs caused by infectious agents. CDC, in collaboration with EPA and the U.S. Geological Survey, is attempting to**  **establish mechanisms for triggering epidemiologic investigations of suspected acute exposures to pollutants and for evaluating the deleterious effects of short- and long**  **term exposures to hazardous substances. Currently, water at treatment plants is**  **monitored for various organic and inorganic substances, and household tap water is monitored for lead and copper. Future monitoring efforts should be tailored to im**  **prove a) the sensitivity of surveillance activities, b) the detection of associations between environmental releases or exposure incidents and individual health events,**  **and c) the assessment of the public health burden associated with water -rel**  **ated chemical exposures.** **Although definitive conclusions cannot be reached about some of the WBDOs re ported for 1993–1994, most of them probably could have been prevented by using**  **available water-treatment technologies and standard ope rating/monitoring proce**  **dures. Measures that could have been used to prevent some of the outbreaks of**  **chemical etiology include the application of existing knowledge about how to avoid**  **the siphonage of fluoridation chemicals into water, the use of appropriate materials in water pipes and storage tanks, and the education of the**  **public regarding the effects of corrosive water on plumbing materials. Most of the WBDOs with a known or sus**  **pected infectious etiology could have been prevented if the water utilities had met current regulations and followed appropriate treatment practices and operational pro**  **cedures, source and treated water had been adequately monitored, and periodic** **sanitary surveys had been conducted to identify and correct sources of contamina tion. However, the outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in Nevada demonstrates that WBDOs**  **sometimes can occur despite excellent source-water quality and state-of-the-art water**

**treatment.** Vol. 45 / No. SS-1 MMWR 25

## 1993–1994 Outbreaks Associated With Recreational Water

**The most frequently reported W**  **BDOs caused by exposure to recreational water were outbreaks of gastroenteritis. Swimming and other recre**  **ational activities in which the unintentional ingestion of water can occur are k**  **nown to increase the risk for**  **gastrointestinal illness, even in nonoutbr**  **eak settings ( 45,46** **). The number of out breaks of gastroenteritis for 1993–1994 (i.e., 14) was similar to t**  **hose previously reported (i.e., 14 for 1991–1992 and 13 for 1989–1990). For 1993–1994, however,**  **10 (71.4%) of the 14 gastroenteritis outbreaks were a ttri**  **buted to protozoan parasites, compared with six (42.9%) of 14 for 1991–1992, none of 13 for 1989–1990, and two** **(18.2%) of 11 for 1987–1988. Previous reports of cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis at tributed to a waterborne source may have led to an increased awareness that these**  **diseases can result from waterborne transmission. For example, four outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis associated with the use of recreational water were identified in Wis**  **consin in 1993 after the large drinking-water outbreak in Milwaukee. The failure to identify deficiencies in filtration or chlorination for four of the six**  **outbreaks of pool-associated gastroenteritis caused by protozoa indicates that current methods of water treatment may not always**  **ensure protection against protozoan in fections in these settings. The inactivation of**  **G. lamblia cysts by the routine**  **chlorination of swimming pools may require >15 minutes, depending on such factors as temperature, pH, and chlorine concentration. Under normal operating conditions**  **for pools, at least several days would be needed to inactivate**  **C. parvum oocysts. Sev**  **eral types of filters are used in swimming pools. Their effectiv**  **eness for removing oocysts is not known; and their filtration rates are generally slow, requiring up to**  **6 hours for a complete turnover of pool water ( 47**  **). During the outbreak of recreational lake water-associated cryptosporidiosis in New**  **Jersey, water temperatures ranged from 86 F to 95 F (30 C to 35 C). Preliminary data, based on an ongoing s**  **tudy funded by the American Water Works Association Re search Foundation, indicate that the number of viable oocysts, determined by** **excystation, in surface water decreases by 90%–99% after 28 days at water tempera tures of 86 F (30 C) (M.W. LeChevallier, personal communication, 1995). Other fa**  **ctors, such as the effects of sunlight on oocysts in shallow bodies of water and the density** 
**and c omposition of**  **heterotrophic microflora, might further decrease the survival time of oocysts in water. Although**  **the outbreak, which lasted >4 weeks, may have resulted from a single contamination event, the long period of t**  **ransmission also may have been caused by the reintroduction of**  **C. parvum into the lake water by infected** 

**persons. Outbreaks of swimming-associated shigellosis continue to occur.**  **The probable source of the pathogen for the three outbreaks in 1993–1994, as for previous out**  **breaks, was fecal contamination of lake water by persons in the water. In 1994, the second-ever reported**  **outbreak that was caused by**  **E. coli O157:H7 and associated**  **with exposure to recreational water occurred. E. coli**  **O157:H7, like Shigella** **spp., ap parently has a low infectious dose**  **(48,49 ). Thus, infection may be acquired without**  **swallowing large volumes of water. EPA has published criteria**  **for evaluating the quality of both marine and fresh water used for recreation (**  **50,51 ). Microbial monitoring has been recommended for recrea**  **tional areas potentially contaminated by sewage. However, the util ity of routinely**  **monitoring untreated water (e.g., lakes) for fecal contamination caused by bathers has not been established. Efforts at prevention have focused on providing adequate toilet**  26 MMWR April 12, 1996**and diaper-changing facilities at recreational areas and limiting the number of bathers per unit area. An additional, important measure, al**  **though difficult to enforce, is to prevent persons (especially**  **young, nontoilet-trained children) from entering recrea tional waters if they are either experiencing or convalescing from a diarrheal illness.**  **For the period 1993–1994, most of the reported outbreaks of dermatitis associated with hot tubs, wh**  **irlpools, and swimming pools were directly related to inadequate operation and maintenance procedures. Outbreaks of**  **pseudomonas dermatitis asso ciated with hot tubs are preventable if water is maintained at a pH of 7.2–7.8 with free,** 
**residual chlorine lev**  **els in the range of 2.0–5.0 mg/L ( 52**  **). Similarly, outbreaks of pseudomonas dermatitis associated with swimming pools are preventable if the pH**  **and chlorine levels are maintained at 7.2–8.2 and 0.4–1.0 mg/L, respectively ( 47**  **). A person’s susceptibility and immersion time, along with the number of bathers per unit**  **area, also may influence the risk for infection ( 53**  **). The one death associated with the use of recreational water was caused by primary**  **amebic meningoencephalitis, a rarely reported disease in the United States . N. fowleri**  **infections are generally acquired during the summer months, when the temperature of fresh water is favorable for the multip**  **lication of the organism ( 54,55**  **).**



## CONCLUSIONS

**Information from the nationwide surveillance of WBDOs is used to characterize the epidemiology of waterborne diseases in the United States. Data about the types of**  **water systems and deficiencies associated with outbreaks are needed to evaluate the adequacy of current regulations for water treatment and monitoring of water quality.**  **The identification of the etiologic agents of outbreaks is particularly critical because agents newly associated with WBDOs may require new methods of control.** **For agents that are recognized as important waterborne pathogens, rapid recogni tion and control of WBDOs are facilitated by surveillance at the local and state level.** 
**Close communication between local health departments and water utilities is crucial.** **For example, if epidemiologic evidence suggests the possibility of waterborne trans mission, water utilities should be contacted promptly and asked about such factors as**  **recent treatment deficiencies and changes in source-water quality. Similarly, local policies should be developed that specify the thresholds for reporting various water**  **quality data to health departments. Timely water testing and environm ental**  **investigations can facilitate the identification of an outbreak’s etiologic agent and the correctable source(s) of water contamination, as well as establish**  **whether control measures (e.g., boil-water advisories) are indicated.**  **Means of improving the surveillance system for WBDOs should be explored. The review of information that has been gathered thr**  **ough other mechanisms (e.g.,** **reports to poison-control centers, issuances of boil-water advisories, and computer ized data on water quality) may facilitate the detec**  **tion of more WBDOs. Special epidemiologic studies may be needed that supplement the findings of this surveil**  **lance system by addressing such issues as the public health importance of newly**  **identified agents of waterborne disease and the effectiveness of prevention strategies**
**in nono utbreak settings.**  **State health departments can request epidemiologic assistance from CDC for**  **the investigation of WBDOs. In addition, CDC and EPA can be consulted about the**  Vol. 45 / No. SS-1 MMWR 27**engineering and environmental aspects of water treatment and about collecting large volume water samples to identify pathogenic viruses and parasites.** **Additional information is available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (tele phone [800]**  **426-4791; e-mail sdwa@epamail.epa.gov), CDC’s Cryptospor idiosis** 
**Information Line of the Paras itic Diseases In**  **formation Line (voice-fax telephone system [404] 330-1242), and CDC/National Center for Infectious Diseases’ home page**  **on the Internet World Wide Web (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/crypto/ crypto.htm). Waterborne-disease outbreaks should be reported to CDC’s Division of**  **Parasitic Diseases; telephone (770) 488-7760.**

Acknowledgments **The authors thank the state waterborne-disease surveillance coordinators; the state epidemiologists; the state drin**  **king-water administra tors; the Office of Ground Water**  **and Drinking Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, NCID, CDC; and the Division of Environmental Hazards and**  **Health Effects, NCEH, CDC, for contributing to the waterborne-disease surveillance**

**summary.**

**References**

**1. Craun GF, ed. Waterborne diseases in the United States. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 1986. 2. CDC. Surveillance for waterborne disease outbreaks—United States, 1991–1992. MMWR 1993;**  **42(No. SS-5):1–22. 3. CDC. Waterborne disease outbreaks, 1989–1990. MMWR 1991;40(No. SS-3):1–21.**  **4. Environmental Protection Agency. Water programs: national interim primary drinking water regulations. Federal Register 1975;40:59566–74.**  **5. Pontius FW, Roberson JA. The current regulatory agenda: an update. Journal of the Am erican**  **Water Works Association 1994;86:54–63. 6. Environmental Protection Agency. 40 CFR Parts 141 and 142. Drinking water: national primary**  **drinking water regulations; filtration, disinfection; turbidity, Giardia lamblia**  **, viruses, Le**  **gionella , and heterotrophic bacteria; final rule. Federal Register 1989;54:27486–541.**  **7. Environmental Protection Agency. 40 CFR Parts 141 and 142. Drinking water: national primary drinking water regulations; total coliforms (including fecal coliforms and**  **E. coli ); final rule.**  **Federal Register 1989;54:27544-68. 8. Environmental Protection Agency. 40 CFR Parts 141 and 142. Drinking water: national primary**  **drinking water regulations; total coliforms; corrections and technical amendments; final rule. Federal Register 1990;55:25064-5.**  **9. Environmental Protection Agency. 40 CFR Parts 141 and 142. National primary drinking water**  **regulations: enhanced surface water treatment requirements; proposed rule. Federal Register**  **1994;59:38832–58. 10. Environmental Protection Agency. 40 CFR Part 141. National primary drinking water regula**  **tions: monitoring requirements for public drinking water supplies: Cryptosporidium, Giardia** 

**, viruses, disinfection byproducts, water treatment plant data and other information require**  **ments; proposed rule. Federal Register 1994;59:6332–444. 11. Mac Kenzie WR, Hoxie NJ, Proctor ME, et al. A massive outbreak in Milwaukee of**  **Crypto sporidium**  **infection transmitted thr ough the public**  **water supply. N Engl J Med 1994;331:161–7. 12. Kaminski JC.**  **Cryptosporidium and the public water supply [Letter]. N Engl J Med 1994;** 
**331:1529–30. 13. Goldstein ST, Juranek DD, Ravenholt O, et al. Cryptosporidiosis: an outbreak associated with**  **drinking water despite state-of-the-art water treatment. Ann Intern Med 1996;124:459-68. 14. Sterling CB, Christian BB, Cope JO. A public health laboratory: handling a parasitic outbreak.**  **Tennessee Department of Health (THD) Laboratory Services Newsletter 1995;4:1–3. 15. CDC. Preventing lead poisoning in young children: a statement by the Centers for Disease**  **Control. Atlanta: US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health S**  **ervice, CDC, October 21, 1991.**  28 MMWR April 12, 1996**16. CDC. Lead-contaminated drinking water in bulk-water storage tanks—Arizona and California, 1993. MMWR 1994;43:751–8.**  **17. CDC. Water fluoridation: a manual for engineers and technicians. Atlanta: US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, CDC, 1986.** **18. Environmental Protection Agency. 40 CFR Parts 141 and 142. Drinking water regulations: maxi mum contaminant level goals and national primary drinking water**  **regulations for lead and copper; final rule. Federal Register 1991;56:26460–4.** 
**19. CDC. Cryptosporidium**  **infections associated with swimming pools—Dane C ounty,**  **Wisconsin, 1993. MMWR 1994;43:561–3.**  **20. Wilberschied L. A swimming-pool-associated outbreak of cryptosporidiosis. Kansas Medicine 1995;96:67–8.**  **21. Fobbs M, Skala M. Waterborne hepatitis A associated with a church and school. Missouri Epidemiologist 1992;14:6–8.**  **22. Knobeloch L, Ziarnik M, Howard J, et al. Gastrointestinal upsets associated with ingestion of copper-contaminated water. Environ Health Perspect 1994; 102:958–61.**  **23. Fuortes L, Nettleman M. Leptospirosis: a consequence of the Iowa flood. Iowa Med 1994;**
**84:449–50. 24. Craun GF, ed. Methods for the investigation and prevention of waterborne disease outbreaks.**  **Cincinnati, OH: Environmental Protection Agency, Health Effects Research Laboratory, 1990; EPA publication no. 600/1-90/005a.** **25. Hoff JC. Inactivation of microbial agents by chemical disinfectants. Cincinnati, OH: Environ mental Protection Agency, Drinking Water Research Division, Water Engineering Research**  **Laboratory, 1986; EPA publication no. 600/2-86/067. 26. Rose JB. Occurrence and significance of**  **Cryptosporidium in water. Journal of the American**  **Water Works Association 1988;80:53–8. 27. Rose JB, Gerba CP, Jakubowski W. Survey of potable water supplies for**  **Cryptosporidium**
**and Giardia**  **. Environmental Science and Technology 1991;25:1393–400. 28. LeChevallier MW, Norton WD, Lee RG. O**  **ccurrence of Giardia**  **and Cryptosporidium**  **spp. in surface water supplies. Appl Environ Microbiol 1991;57:2610–6.**  **29. Korich DG, Mead JR, Madore MS, Sinclair NA, Sterling CR. Effects of ozone, chlorine dioxide, chlorine, and monochloramine on**  **Cryptosporidium parvum oocyst viability. Appl Environ Mi**  **crobiol 1990;56:1423–8. 30. D’Antonio RG, Winn RE, Taylor JP, et al. A waterborne outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in normal**  **hosts. Ann Intern Med 1985;103:886–8. 31. Hayes EB, Matte TD, O’Brien TR, et al. Large community**  **outbreak of cryptosporidiosis due to contamination of a filtered public water supply. N Engl J Med 1989;320:1372–6.**  **32. CDC. Waterborne disease outbreaks, 1986–1988. MMWR 1990;39(No. SS-1):1–13.**
**33. LeChevallier MW, Norton WD, Lee RG. Giardia**  **and Cryptosporidium**  **spp. in filtered drinking water supplies. Appl Environ Microbiol 1991;57:2617–21.**  **34. LeChevallier MW, Norton WD. Giardia**  **and Cryptosporidium**  **in raw and finished water. Journal of the American Water Works Association 1995;87:54–68.**  **35. CDC. Assessing the public health threat associated with waterborne cryptosporidiosis: report of a workshop. MMWR 1995;44(No. RR-6).**  **36. Juranek DD, Addiss DG, Bartlett ME, et al. Cryptosporidiosis and public health: work shop**  **report. Journal of the American Water Works Association 1995;87:69–80. 37. Dupont HL, Chappell CL, Sterling CR, Okhuysen PC, Rose JB, Jakubowski W. The infectivity** 
**of Cryptosporidium parvum**  **in healthy volunteers. N Engl J Med 1995;332:855–9. 38. Haas CN, Rose JB. Reconciliation of microbial risk models and outbreak epidemiology: the**  **case of the Milwaukee outbreak. In: Proceedings of the American Water Works Association 1994 Annual Conference: Water Quality. Denver: American Water Works Association, 1994:** 
**517–23. 39. CDC. USPHS/IDSA**  **guidelines for the prevention of opportunistic infections in persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus: a summary. MMWR 1995;44(No. RR-8).**  **40. Juranek DD. Cryptosporidiosis: sources of infection and guidelines for prevention. Clin Infect Dis 1995;21(Suppl 1):S57–61.** **41. Schwartz J. Low-level lead exposure and children’s IQ: a meta-analysis and search for a thresh old. Environ Res 1994;65:42–55.**  **42. CDC. Engineering and administrative recommendations for water fluoridation, 1995. MMWR 1995;44(No. RR-13).**  Vol. 45 / No. SS-1 MMWR 29**43. Walton G. Survey of literature relating to infant methemoglobinemia due to nitrate contaminated water. Am J Public Health 1951;41:986–96.**  **44. Litovitz TL, Clark LR, Soloway RA. 1993 Annual report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers Toxic Exposure Surveillance System. Am J Emerg Med 1994;12:546–84.** **45. Calderon RL, Mood EW, Dufour AP. Health effects of swimmers and nonpoint sources of con taminated water. International Journal of Environmental Health Research 1991;1:21–31.**  **46. Seyfried PL, Tobin RS, Brown NE, Ness PF. A prospective study of swimming-related illness: I. Swimming-associated health risk. Am J Public Health 1985;75:1068–70.**  **47. CDC. Swimming pools: safety and disease control through proper design and operation. Atlanta: US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, CDC, 1976;**  **DHHS publication no. (CDC)88–8319. 48. DuPont HL, Levine MM, Hornick RB, Formal SB. Inoculum size in shigellosis and implications**  **for expected mode of transmission. J Infect Dis 1989;159:1126–8. 49. Griffin PM, Tauxe RV. The epidemiology of infections caused by**  **Escherichia coli O157:H7,**  **other enterohemorrhagic E. coli**  **, and the associated hemolytic uremic syndrome. Epidemiol Rev 1991;13:60–98.**  **50. Dufour AP. Health effects criteria for fresh recreational waters. Research Triangle Park, North Carolina: Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Health Ef**  **fects Research Laboratory, 1984; EPA publication no. 600/1-84-004. 51. Cabelli VJ. Health effects criteria for marine recreational waters. Research Triangle Park, North** **Carolina: Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Health Ef fects Research Laboratory, 1983; EPA publication no. 600/1-80-031.** **52. CDC. Suggested health and safety guidelines for public spas and hot tubs. Atlanta: US De partment of Health and Human Services, Public Health S**  **ervice, CDC, 1981; DHHS publication**
**no. 99-960. 53. Highsmith AK, McNamara AM. Microbiology of recreational and therapeutic whirlpools. Tox**  **icity Assessment 1988;3:599–611. 54. Visvesvara GS, Stehr-Green JK. Epidemiology of free-living ameba infections. J Protozool**  **1990;37:25S–33S. 55. John DT, Howard MJ. Seasonal distribution of pathogenic free-living amebae in Oklahoma**  **waters. Parasitol Res 1995;81:193–201.** 30 MMWR April 12, 1996

# Glossary

**In this glossary, italicized terms that are not names of microorganisms are defined elsewhere in the glossary.** 

Action l evel: **A specified concentration of a contaminant in water; if this concentration is reached or exceeded, certain actions (e.g., further treatment and monitoring)**  **must be taken to comply with a drinking-water regulation.**

Boil-water advisory: **A statement to the public advising persons to boil tap water be fore drinking it.** 

Cistern: **A storage tank for collected rain water.**

Class: **Refer to the Classification of Outbreaks section in the text and to Table 1 for a comprehensive definition.** 

Coagulation: **The process of adding chemicals to water to destabilize charges on natu**  **rally occurring particles to facilitate their subsequent aggregation and removal by**
**flocculation and/or**  **filtration**

**.**

Coliforms: **A group of gram-negative, rod-shaped, nonspore-forming aerobic and fac ultative anaerobic bacteria that ferment lactose, with acid and gas formation within**  **48 hours at 95 F (35 C). These bacteria are c ommonly found in soil and in**  **the gut and feces of warm-blooded animals. Their presence in water may indicate contami** 
**nation with human and/or animal feces.**

Community water system: **A public water system**  **that serves year-round residents of a community,**  **subdivision, or mobile-home park that has** ≥ **15 service connections or an average of**  ≥ **25 residents.**

Contact time: **The length of time water is exposed to a disinfectant (e.g., chlorine con tact time).** 

Cross-connection: **Any actual or potential connection between a drinking-water sup ply and a possible source of contamination or pollution (e.g., a waste-water line).** 

Cyst: **The infectious stage of Giardia lamblia**  **and some other protozoan parasites that has a protective wall, which facilitates survival in water and other environments.** 

Disinfection by-products: **Chemicals formed in water through reactions between or ganic matter and disinfectants.** 

Distri bution system: **Water pipes, storage reservoirs, tanks, and other means used to deliver drinking water to consumers or to store it before delivery.** 

Excystation: **The release of the internal (i.e., encysted) contents (e.g., trophozoites or sporozoites) from**  **cysts or**  **oocysts**

**.** Vol. 45 / No. SS-1 MMWR 31Fecal coliforms: **A subset of the coliform group of bacteria that includes such bacteria**

**as Escherichia coli**  **that produce gas from lactose at 112.1** ± **0.36 F (44.5** ± **0.2 C) and whose presence in water indicates contamination with human and/or animal feces.** 

Filter backwash: **The water containing the material obtained by reversing the flow of water through a filter to dislodge the particles that have been retained on it.** 

Filtration: **The process of removing su spended particles from water by passing it**  **through one or more permeable membranes or media of small diameter (e.g., sand, anthracite, or diatomaceus earth).** 

Finished water: **The water (i.e., drinking water) delivered to the distribution system**  **after treatment, if any.**

Flocculation: **The water-treatment process after coagulation**  **that uses gentle stirring to cause suspended particles to form larger, aggregated masses (floc). The aggre**  **gates are removed from the water by a separation process (e.g., sedimentation, flotation, or**  **filtration ).** 

Free, residual chlorine level: **The concentration of chlorine in water that is not com**
**bined with other constituents and thus serves as an effective disinfectant.**

Groundwater system: **A system that uses water extracted from the gr ound (i.e., a well**  **or spring).**

Heterotrophic microflora: **Microorganisms that utilize organic material for energy and growth.** 

Indicator organism: **A microorganism that indicates, by its presence in water, possible or actual contamination by fecal material.** 

Individual water system: **A small water system, not owned or operated by a water**  **utility , that serves <15 residences or farms that do not have access to a**  **public water system** 

**.**

Maximum-contaminant level: **The maximum permissible concentration (level) of a contaminant in water supplied to any user of a**  **public water system**

**.**
Nephelometric turbidity units: **The units in which the turbidity**  **of a sample of water is measured when the degree to which light is scattered is assessed with a**  **nephelometric turbidimeter.**

Noncommunity water system: **A public water system**  **that a) serves an institution, industry, camp, park, hotel, or business that is used by the**  **public for** ≥ **60 days per year; b) has**  ≥ **15 service connections or serves an average of** ≥ **25 persons; and c) is**

**not a community water system** 

**.**
Oocyst: **The infectious stage of Cryptosporidium parvum**  **and some other coccidian parasites that has a protective wall, which facilitates survival in water and other** 
**environments.** 32 MMWR April 12, 1996Public water system: **A system, classified as either a community**  **or a noncommunity**  **water system , that provides piped water to the public for human consumption and**  **is regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.**

Raw water: **Untreated water.**

Reverse osmosis: **A filtration process that removes dissolved salts and metallic ions from water by forcing it thr**  **ough a semiper meable membrane. This process is also**  **highly effective in removing microbes from water.**

Siphonage: **A reversal of the normal flow of water or other liquid caused by a**  **negative-pressure gradient (e.g., within a water system).**

Source water: **Untreated water (i.e., raw water) used to produce drinking water.**

Surface water: **The water in lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and oceans.**

Total coliforms: **Nonfecal and fecal coliforms** 

**.**
Turbidity: **The quality (e.g., of water) of having suspended matter (e.g., clay, silt, or**  **plankton), which results in loss of clarity or transparency.**

Untreated water: **Refer to raw water** 

**.**
Water utility: **A water provider that distributes drinking water to a community thr ough**  **a network of pipes.**

Watershed: **An area from which water drains to a single point; in a natural basin, the area contributing flow (i.e., water) to a given place or a given point on a stream.** 

Watershed-control program: **A program to protect a watershed from sources of con tamination or pollution.**  Vol. 45 / No. SS-1 MMWR 33State and Territorial Epidemiologists and Laboratory Directors
**State and Territorial Epidemiologists and Laboratory Directors are acknowledged for their contributions to**  **CDC Surveillance Summaries . The epidemiologists listed below were in the po**  **sitions shown as of February 1996, and the laboratory directors listed below were in the positions shown as of February 1996.** 
State/Territory Epidemiologist Laboratory Director **Alabama John P. Lofgren, MD William J. Callan, PhD Alaska John P. Middaugh, MD Gregory V. Hayes, DrPH**  **Arizona Norman J. Petersen, SM (Acting) Barbara J. Erickson, PhD Arkansas Thomas C. McChesney, DVM Michael G. Foreman**  **California Stephen H. Waterman, MD, MPH Michael G. Volz, PhD Colorado Richard E. Hoffman, MD, MPH**  **Ronald L. Cada, DrPH**  **Connecticut James L. Hadler, MD, MPH Sanders F.**  **Hawkins, PhD Delaware A. LeRoy Hathcock, PhD Mahadeo P. V**  **erma, PhD District of Columbia Martin E.**  **Levy, MD, MPH James B. Thomas, ScD Florida Richard S. Hopkins, MD,**  **MSPH E. Charles Hart wig, ScD**  **Georgia Kathleen E. Toomey, MD, MPH Elizabeth A. Franko, DrPH Hawaii Richard L. Vogt, MD, MPH Vernon K. Miyamoto, PhD**  **Idaho Jesse F. Greenblatt, MD, MPH Richard H. Hudson, PhD Illinois Byron J. Francis, MD, MPH David F. Carpenter, PhD**  **Indiana Gregory K. Steele, DrPH, MPH David E. Nauth (Acting) Iowa M. Patricia Quinlisk, MD, MPH Mary J. R. Gilchrist, PhD**  **Kansas Gianfranco Pezzino, MD, MPH Roger H. Carls**  **on, PhD Kentucky Reginald Finger, MD, MPH Thomas E. Maxson, DrPH**  **Louisiana Louise McFarland, DrPH Henry B. Bradford, Jr, PhD Maine Kathleen F. Gensheimer, MD, MPH John A. Krueger (Acting)**  **Maryland Diane M. Dwyer, MD, MPH J. Mehsen Joseph, PhD Massachusetts Alfred DeMaria, Jr, MD Ralph J. Timperi, MPH**  **Michigan Kenneth R. Wilcox, Jr, MD, DrPH Robert Mart**  **in, DrPH Minnesota Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH Pauline Bouchard, JD, MPH**  **Mississippi Mary Currier, MD, MPH Joe O. Graves, PhD Missouri H. Denny Donnell, Jr, MD, MPH Eric C. Blank, DrPH**  **Montana Todd A. Damrow, PhD, MPH Douglas O. Abbott, PhD**  **Nebraska Thomas J. Safranek, MD John D. Blosser Nevada Randall L. Todd, DrPH Art**  **hur F. DiSalvo, MD New Hampshire M. Geoffrey Smith, MD, MPH Veronica C. Malmberg, MSN**  **New Jersey Lyn Finelli, DrPH (Acting) Marion Pierce New Mexico C. Mack Sewell, DrPH, MS Loris W. Hughes, PhD**  **New York City Benjamin A. M ojica, MD, MPH Stanley**  **Reimer New York State Dale L. Morse, MD, MS Ann Wiley, PhD**  **North Carolina J. Michael Moser, MD, MPH Lou F. Turner, DrPH North Dakota Larry A. Shir**  **eley, MS, MPH James D. Anders, MPH Ohio Thomas J. Halpin, MD, MPH Kathleen L. Meckstroth, DrPH**  **Oklahoma J. Michael Crutcher, MD, MPH (Acting) Garry L. McKee, PhD Oregon David W. Fleming, MD Michael R. Skeels, PhD, MPH**  **Pennsylvania James T. Rankin, Jr, DVM, PhD, MPH Bruce Kieger, DrPH Rhode Island Utpala**  **Bandy, MD, MPH Walter S. Combs, PhD**  **South Carolina James J. Gibson, MD, MPH Harold Dowda, PhD South Dakota Susan E. Lance, DVM, PhD, MPH Richard S. Steece, PhD**  **Tennessee William L. Moore, MD Michael W. Kimberly, DrPH Texas Diane M. Simpson, MD, PhD David L. Maserang, PhD**  **Utah Craig R. Nichols, MPA Charles D. Brokopp, DrPH Vermont Vacant Burton W. Wilke, Jr, PhD**  **Virginia Grayson B. Miller, Jr, MD, MPH James L. Pearson, DrPH Washington Paul Stehr-Green, DrPH, MPH Jon M. Counts, DrPH**  **West Virginia Loretta E. Haddy, MA, MS Frank W. Lambert, Jr, DrPH**  **Wisconsin Jeffrey P. Davis, MD Ronald H.**  **Laessig, PhD Wyoming Gayle L. Miller, DVM, MPH Roy J. Almeida, DrPH**  **American Samoa Edgar C. Reid, MO, DSM, MPH —**  **Federated States of Micronesia Vacant —**  **Guam Robert L. Haddock, DVM, MPH Florencia Nocon (Acting) Marshall Islands Tom D. Kijner —**  **Northern Mariana Islands Jose L. Chong, MD Isamu J. Abraham, DrPH Palau Jill McCready, MS, MPH —**  **Puerto Rico Carmen C. Deseda, MD, MPH Jose Luis Miranda Arroyo, MD Virgin Islands Donna M. Green, MD Norbert Mantor, PhD**  Vol. 45 / No. SS-1The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report ( MMWR ) Series is prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is available free of charge in elect ronic format and on a paid subscription basis for paper copy. To receive an electronic copy on Friday of each week, send an e-mail message to lists@list.cdc.gov

. The body content should read subscribe mmwr-toc

. Electronic copy also is available
from CDC’s World-Wide Web server at http://www.cdc .gov/ or from CDC’s file transfer protocol server at ftp.cdc.gov

. To subscribe for paper copy, contact Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402; telephone (202) 512-1800. Data in the weekly MMWR are provisional, based on weekly reports to CDC by state health departments. The report ing week concludes at close of business on Friday; compiled data on a national basis are officially released to the public on the following Friday. Address inquiries about the MMWR Series, including material to be considered for publication, to: Editor, MMWR Series, Mailstop C-08, CDC, 1600 Clifton Rd., N. E., Atlanta, GA 30333; telephone (404) 332-4555.
All material in the MMWR Series is in the public domain and may be used and reprinted without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.

✩ U.S. Government Printing Office: 1996-7 33-175/27049 Region IV MMWR