ALABAMA A&M and AUBURN UNIVERSITIES

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Y2K CONCERNS PROMPT SOME TO STORE DRINKING WATER

AUBURN, March 5---With many water systems throughout the United States controlled by computer, Y2K concerns have convinced some people to begin stocking fresh water, even though water-quality experts say the concerns are groundless.

Anticipating problems with Y2K, the American Water Works Association has been working closely with wastewater and drinking water industries to ensure their computers are safeguarded against Y2K by 2000.

In many respects, mounting concerns about Y2K bear similarities to the Cold War, says Dr. Jim Hairston, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System water quality scientist.

"This Y2K issue brings back memories of the Cold-War days right after the Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1957," Hairston says. "People began building bomb shelters, stockpiling food and water supplies, and schoolchildren were drilled on how to protect themselves in the event of a nuclear war."

While Hairston doesn't foresee any serious problems stemming from Y2K-related, water-quality problems, heconcedes people have a perfect right to stockpile water and offers some advice to ensure the cleanest possible drinking water.

"Most of the water-disinfecting advice offered by Civil Defense for more than 40 years is still applicable today, except recommendations for storing water in metal containers," Hairston says. "We now have a number of plastics available that work better than metal and are less subject to corrosion."

"On the other hand, these plastics will degrade faster in sunlight than metal containers, so the old Civil Defense recommendation for storing water in cool, dry places is still valid."

One of the simplest ways to store water for emergency use is to buy it already purified and sealed in one's choice of plastic containers. Consumers should make sure to check for an NSF International or Water Quality Association seal on the label for certification that the water is equal in quality to national drinking water standards, he says.

Large plastic containers are available for emergency storage today, Hairston says. When filling containers for emergency use, consumers should be primarily concerned about disinfection, regardless of what substance the container is made of. This is especially true when water will be stored for a long time, such as in anticipation of Y2K-relatedproblems.

While chemical composition of the water will not change during storage, there is the likelihood of microbial contamination. Moreover, microbial organisms can change over time and affect both the taste and purity of stored water.

Two methods to effectively disinfect and store small quantities of water for short-term or long-term use are boiling and chemical treatment. Boiling is the most effective way to make water bacterially safe for drinking. Chemical treatment, under the right conditions and care, also can be effective.

Water needs to be boiled only a minute in order to kill any disease-causing microorganisms.

Water often has a flat taste after being boiled, but this can be improved merely by pouring it back and forth from one container to another - a process called aeration, Water also can be left to stand for a while, or a pinch of salt can be added for every quart boiled.

"This is especially true with distilled water, which has had all of the solids removed during the distilling process," says Hairston.

Chlorine bleach also can be used to disinfect water,Hairston says. Make sure to follow label directions. If the label doesn't carry directions, contact your local Extension agent.

Iodine also can be used as a water disinfectant, but it's not effective in guarding against exposure to Giardia or Cryptosporidium. Nor is iodine effective against algae.

For this reason, iodine should be limited only to short- term disinfection and preferably only on wellwater, Hairston says.