Image description: Mel Parsons from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) dives at the Tippo Bayou sampling station in the Mississippi Delta near Philipp, MS.
In what looks like pea soup, the diver was helping to collect ‘Sediment Oxygen Demand’ information. Sediment oxygen demand refers to how much oxygen is being used by organisms and plants in the sediment. The EPA uses these measurements to better understand the overall health of the water.
Photo from the EPA
In an emergency, your water supply may become contaminated. Use only water that has been properly disinfected for drinking, cooking, or brushing your teeth.
If you don’t have bottled water and cannot boil water, then you can use a chemical treatment to kill most disease-causing organisms. Find out how to disinfect water with chlorine, iodine, or calcium hypochlorite.
Whether you plan to swim at a pool, the beach, or a lake or river, know how to stay safe in the water.
Drowning is the fifth leading cause of unintentional injury death in the U.S., and many of these victims are children under the age of 15. Review some tips to help you and your family stay safe in the water.
Find additional information about water safety:
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) rated 200 popular beaches across the United States on a 5 star scale. Criteria for the NRDC’s rating scale include testing the water weekly, notifying the public promptly when tests reveal unsafe bacteria levels, and posting closings and advisories both online and at the beach.
Beaches that achieved 5 stars had exceptionally low violation rates and strong testing and safety practices. Of the 200 beaches, only 13 were given the highest possible rating of 5 stars.
Visit NRDC to see the full ratings report and to search for beaches near you.
Make sure you have bottled water on hand for an emergency, and know how to make water safe to drink if you run out.
