Where did the Camplylobactor and E. Coli come from?
Walkerton is a small farming community in north central Ontario with numerous small livestock farms. Most are pasture operations with 4060 cow/calf pairs. The outbreak in Walkerton followed 4 days of torrential rains. One city well was in a flooded hay field where manure had been applied from a beef farm. This well had a history of positive total coliform bacteria tests and a cracked well casing. The city had been advised twenty years ago not to locate the well in this location. Two other wells also supply the town with water and are located in swampy areas with farm fields surrounding them. E. coli was found in the environment around these wells. All credible evidence indicates that if properly sited, constructed, and maintained, wells provide safe drinking water. In this instance, improperly sited wells flooded and supplied contaminated water to the city. In addition, the water was improperly chlorinated by the city water department. (From Kent Hoblet, DVM, The Ohio State University.
