The city of Passau announced on Friday morning that drinking water in the Passau region no longer needs to be boiled. The one that has now been revoked The boil order had been in effect for over a week. 60,000 people across the city and neighboring communities such as Salzweg and Tiefenbach were affected. Critical voices say: The city of Passau did not provide enough information.
Drinking water is even more chlorinated
The laboratory values no longer showed any anomalies, it is stated, which is why the state health department was able to suspend with immediate effect the boiling water recommendation for the entire supply area of the public utility in Passau. However, the water still needs to be chlorinated. Therefore, small changes in smell and taste may occur. However, there are no more health problems. Drinking water can be used without restrictions, with the exception of preparing baby food.
Floods may have been the cause
Contamination of drinking water occurred shortly after Floods and heavy rains in early June occurred. An absolute cause cannot be named, the city said in its statement. One possibility is that the filtering function of the various layers of the earth no longer worked. The contamination, now eliminated by disinfection with chlorine, was due to coliform bacteria.
We coordinate with the health department preventive measures have already been taken. For example, a well was shut down and the water supply was transferred to another well.
Contaminated water can cause illness
As the Passau Health Department told BR, coliform bacteria can cause serious illnesses, such as pneumonia or other infections. The health effects are smaller in people with an intact immune system. Babies, young children, the elderly, or immunocompromised people are most at risk.
It cannot be said whether the contamination of drinking water in the Passau region caused illness, because there is no obligation to report symptoms caused by coliform bacteria to the health authorities.
Criticism of the communication of the city of Passau
The restaurant industry in particular has had to grapple with boiling water regulations. The smell of chlorine is very dominant, Peter Wolf, chef at the “Goldenes Schiff” restaurant, told BR. Sometimes you feel like you’re in an indoor pool. For example, instead of tap water, guests could only receive bottled water with their coffee. In the kitchen, water had to be boiled before vegetables could be washed.
There was also criticism from the catering sector: communication from the city of Passau regarding the drinking water situation was very poor. Passau CSU politician Holm Putzke also called for more transparency. The criminal law professor told the Passauer Neue Presse (PNP): “Tens of thousands of citizens in cities and rural areas are affected and have received little information for days.”