Raw sewage coursing along the muddy Ohio River and contaminating wells remains the largest health threat posed by the Flood of '97. At its peak, the flood caused 43 sewer treatment plants in Ohio and Kentucky to either shut down or allow some raw sewage to reach the river untreated. To reduce the risk of bacterial contamination, more than 75 water systems last week advised customers to boil drinking water. Now the number of boil advisories is down to 50 water systems. However, the full extent of the flood damage to drinking water and wastewater treatment plants has not been fully assessed.
High turbidity indicates a risk of parasites, such as cryptosporidium.
In Kentucky, water treatment plants in Butler and Brandenburg are out of service. Thirty four water systems have boil advisories, indicating possible contamination. Meanwhile, sewer treatment plants in Aberdeen and Ripley, both in Ohio, have been damaged and remain offline. The full extent of damages and estimates of repair times have not been determined. Several other Ohio plants are still discharging raw sewage into the river, including the Nine Mile Plant in Clermont County, and the Little Miami, Mill Creek and Muddy Creek plants in Hamilton County, according to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.