Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
October 23, 2008
4. Water Quality -
Saint Agnes has Legionnaires' case
Hospital confirms disease in 1 patient.
Fix Agreed for Landfill Fouling
NBC
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Saint Agnes has Legionnaires' case
Hospital confirms disease in 1 patient.
By Tracy Correa
A patient at Saint Agnes Medical Center has contracted Legionnaires' disease through the hospital's water supply, officials said Wednesday.
The disease, a severe form of pneumonia, is caused by the bacteria Legionella. It was found in a water sample from the hospital's west wing, where the 26-year-old man was being treated.
Saint Agnes officials said they've taken the necessary steps to address the problem, including flushing the hospital's water system with superheated water to kill the bacteria. The treatment, with 180-degree temperature water, began Monday in the unit where the patient was hospitalized and was expected to continue throughout the hospital Wednesday.
Stacy Vaillancourt, vice president of marketing, communications and advocacy at Saint Agnes, said the bacteria was confirmed Monday by a lab in
Vaillancourt said the hospital has taken every measure to ensure the safety of patients and employees and will be installing a chlorine dioxide filter system by Friday.
Legionnaires' is a type of pneumonia that affects between 8,000 and 18,000 people in the United States -- and about a quarter of those are contracted at hospitals, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hospital officials believe the case is isolated.
"There is just this one case, this one individual," Vaillancourt said.
The infected patient had a compromised immune system, making him more susceptible to getting sick from the common, environmental bacteria often found in water sources, Vaillancourt said.
The man was originally admitted to the hospital Sept. 15, for cellulitis -- a bacterial skin infection. During his stay, he complained of other symptoms and additional tests were ordered. A urine test later confirmed the presence of Legionella in his system.
Because Saint Agnes gets its water from the city, the city's water division was notified.
Rene Ramirez, director of
The California Department of Public Health is investigating the Legionnaires' case after being notified by the hospital.
Ken August, a spokesman for the state health department, would only say, "We have an open investigation at Saint Agnes." He said he couldn't confirm what it involved.
Local and federal health experts said there is very little danger to the public, even if they are exposed to the bacteria.
"People who are most susceptible are those with compromised immune systems and are hospitalized," he said.
The disease got its name after the first recognized outbreak in 1976 when people attending a
The Legionella bacteria is usually inhaled through water mist rather than swallowed. Most people are resistant, but it can be fatal when contracted by older people or people with weakened immune systems. There is no evidence it can be spread by person-to-person contact.
Lauri Hicks, a medical epidemiologist with the CDC in
"Legionella is very, very common in our environment. It lives in fresh water. I suspect most of us have been exposed to Legionella at some point," Hicks said. "It only affects a small number of people. Typically, you don't see large outbreaks."
She estimated about 25% of reported cases each year are traced to hospitals. "One thing that makes hospitals and large buildings prone to colonization of Legionella is they contain very complicated plumbing systems," she said.
Hicks said it is not unusual for the bacteria to be isolated to just one area of a large hospital or hotel, she said. #
http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/956843.html
Fix Agreed for Landfill Fouling
NBC
Republic Services of Southern Nevada is the current operator of the Sunrise Mountain Landfill, an unlined 440-acre closed municipal solid waste landfill located three miles outside the
It contains over 49 million cubic yards of municipal solid waste, medical waste, sewage sludge, asbestos, construction waste and soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons.
The landfill cover failed during a series of storms in September 1998, sending waste into the
In a consent decree, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in
"Today's settlement will minimize the risk to
"This settlement reflects the federal government's commitment to protecting valuable natural resources like
The remedy, which is expected to take roughly two years to build, will be designed to withstand a 200 year storm and is expected to cost over $36 million.
Upon completion, the remedy is estimated to prevent the release of over 14 million pounds of contaminants annually, including stormwater pollutants, methane gas and landfill leachate.
The landfill was operated on behalf of
Following the landfill cover failure in 1998, the EPA ordered Republic Dumpco, a company related to Republic Services of Southern Nevada, and the Clark County Public Works Department to correct violations of the federal clean water laws and to immediately stabilize the site.
"Landfill operators must ensure that effective safeguards are in place to protect the environment and nearby communities," Wayne Nastri, administrator of the EPA's Pacific Southwest region said Thursday from his office in
The proposed consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court.#
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/green/Fix_Agreed_for_Landfill_Fouling_California_Drinking_Water.html
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