Don't Drink the Water: Ohio Village Navigates A Water Crisis

Let's Talk About What's Happening With The "Foul-Smelling & Discolored Water" In Cadiz, Ohio.

Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash

No timeline. Not a lot of answers from local authorities. Add Cadiz, Ohio, to the list of places having water troubles.

Located on the eastern side of the state, about an hour from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Cadiz is a village with a little more than 3,000 people.

The local media is reporting “foul-smelling and discolored water.” Local residents are complaining about costly water bills, when they can’t use the water.

Earlier this month, a boil water advisory was issued for the village of Cadiz after routine testing revealed unsafe conditions. The advisory came on the heels of heavy rains and sweltering summer heat.

These conditions led to high levels of turbidity in the village's water supply, which can lead to things like brown water, smelly water, or low water pressure.

Remember, turbidity is a fancy water word for dirt. Essentially, the storms stirred up the surface water, which is Cadiz’s source of drinking water, causing more dirt than usual to clog up the system.

Think about if you put an air filter in a dust storm, it would get dirty very quickly. It’s the same for water filters. Too much dirt, and the whole system gets backed up.

Katherine wrote:

Many of our residents are extremely concerned about our water quality. We have been under a boil order for weeks, and we have no clear answers. We have all been filling up from a local spring, but now we are hearing third hand that the spring is contaminated as well. No one is telling us anything. The mayor just keeps telling us 'don’t drink the water' through Facebook. That's all we are getting. Not even a notice in our $200+ water bills. Please help. Many of us have already called the EPA, but still, no answers. The place we are supposed to be able to pick up water from is never open. I have a lot of animals, and my friends have already had a few die. We are forced to shower in this, at the bare minimum. We are scared and don’t know where else to turn. Please help.

Stacey wrote:

Our water is brown, and yellow. It was in initially reported that we had high Turbidity in our water. Now, people are getting ill from it, getting severe wounds from the bacteria after taking a shower in the water. We cannot get any answers from anyone in charge. Also, before all of this started, they were doing CIPP pipe replacement in our village that also made residents very ill. We need some assistance from someone who cares here in Cadiz, Ohio. With no one helping our community, I thought maybe you can assist us. We have documentation from infectious disease specialist that a wound is from our water. We have babies breaking out in rashes here, and people having diarrhea.

What’s going on with the water

First, I’m so sorry you’re dealing with drinking water issues. It’s incredibly inconvenient, scary, and can get expensive when you have to outsource to bottled water. It’s even worse when pets, small children, or anyone gets sick from the water.

It’s important to understand that it’s not a pollution problem; it’s the infrastructure. This issue in happening many places across the United States.

Listen, you don’t have to call it “climate change” but the weather is shifting. More severe storms are here. The Midwest has always been prone to extreme storms, and severe heat conditions are more conducive to extreme precipitation. Read more here from a University of Dayton scientist.

An unfortunate side effect of severe storms are interruptions to our water systems. It took two months for people in Western North Carolina to get running water back in their homes after Hurricane Helene destroyed much of the local water system. Richmond, Virginia, a small city with a population of more than 225,000 has had two boil water advisories just this year. Do a Google search for boil advisories, and you’ll find many more places dealing with it in from California to Florida. It’s happening everywhere.

A boil water advisory is issued when harmful germs such as bacteria, viruses, or parasites may be in the drinking water supply. Officials typically issue “do not drink” water advisories when tap water is, or could be, contaminated with harmful chemicals or toxins.

On top of changing and more severe weather, our water systems are OLD.

The Village of Cadiz’s constructed the original water distribution system in the late 1890s. Most of that system was replaced and expanded in 1936 and was last updated in 1993. Updates to the system continue in phases. You can learn more here.

Also, the current consumer confidence report can be found here.

When it comes to water, it’s important to know your source.

The drinking water in Cadiz comes from surface water, meaning any body of water above ground, such as rivers, lakes, or streams. The Village of Cadiz Public Water System receives its drinking water from nearby Tappan Lake. So, the storms and the heat created higher than usual turbidity in the lake and thus caused issues for the water utility.

Mayor R. Kevin Jones provided an update on the situation yesterday in local media.

“They update me all the time and we’re trying to be transparent,” Jones said. “But we thought it was Tappan—and it was Tappan, but then there were other issues, so it’s more or less a process of elimination at our plant. I'm not letting the water go until it’s absolutely safe. It's an inconvenience for my family as well as everyone else in Cadiz. We got guys in there last night at midnight. They've been working around the clock.”

The mayor has not given a timeline for when the water issues will be resolved.

Here’s my advice to the people in Cadiz.

Don’t drink the water! Get yourself some bottled water. It’s not a perfect solution but when it comes to a water crisis, it’s your best bet. Baby wipes and paper plates are also helpful when dealing with a water issue.

If commercially bottled water is not available, boil your tap water. To kill germs, bring water to a full rolling boil for 1 minute. Boil your tap water even if you filter it. For example, still boil tap water if it has been through a home water filter or a pitcher that filters water.

Be careful not to swallow any water when bathing or showering. Use caution when bathing babies and young children. Consider giving them a sponge bath to reduce the chance of them swallowing water.

If you’re a community group, consider organizing water drives to help those in need.

Residents experiencing issues are encouraged to contact the village office at 740-942-8844 for assistance. Make sure you call them, so they know exactly how many people have been impacted. Your voice matters. Tell them your symptoms. Tell them what the water looks and smells like.

Document your experience. Take pictures. Write down symptoms. Keep a record. When I worked with people in Flint, Michigan during that crisis, it was helpful to have those records. A picture is worth a thousand words, especially when it comes to brown or yellow water.

When’s the next town hall meeting? Get a big group together and attend. Make sure your officials know how important water issues are to you.

My biggest question right now: What are those other issues happening at the water treatment facility? Someone needs to ask the mayor and get more answers.

Once the boil water advisory has been lifted, continue to keep a backup supply of water in the house in a cool, dry spot like a basement or closet. If you’re on a budget, slowly build up your supply. Grab a few extra water bottles each time you shop.

Ideally, store at least 1 gallon of water per person per day. You can use this water during a crisis for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, and more. Work toward having store a 2-week supply (or more) if possible. Store more water if you have pets.

I can’t emphasize enough that Superman’s not coming! We need to support ourselves and that begins with creating your own backup water storage.

Here’s my advice to officials in Cadiz.

Transparency is key. Tell your constituents why they are on a boil water notice. Err on the side of oversharing exactly what’s happening and what you’re doing to fix the problem.

Have daily updates! Set up weekly meetings at the local library or school gymnasium where locals can ask questions and you can provide information to your community.

Don’t dismiss people’s concerns. Listen! Listen to their stories and take their accounts seriously.

Do more future planning. I know it’s hard as a local official when you are always responding to problems, but you must make time to look ahead and get prepared. When working on budgets, be sure you are adding to the water infrastructure line, not subtracting.

Jim Morrison said it best, “the future’s uncertain and the end is always near.”

The storms are stronger, and the infrastructure keeps getting older….

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What did I miss? What other questions do you have? We’re here to help as best we can. I hope this water crisis gets resolved as quickly as possible.