# Toxic water in New Orleans



## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

Something unpleasant just struck me when I was watching the news today. Everyone in the country seems to be delighted because water is finally being pumped into lake Pontchartrain. This water is so toxic that it's lethal to people who are exposed to it too long. It is full of disease-carrying bacteria, chemicals, and waste. If they're pumping this mess back into the lake, everything in the lake will become toxic as well. Any life left in there probably will be destroyed, and it seems that even if efforts to rebuild start taking place once the city is cleaned out, those toxins would still exist. It seems like it would be nearly impossible to guarantee safe drinking water. And it also seems impossible to keep the disease levels from being completely out of control.


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

The news report I saw said that lake runs off into another which runs off into the gulf. They said even the clam fisheries in the gulf will feel the affects of this. 

The sad part is they said the lake has been undergoing cleanups for years and last year they saw their first manatee start appearing. Now it will take at least another decade to recover from this.


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## Imbrium (Feb 7, 2005)

I'm more concerned about the wildlife in the area than the drinking water. The drinking water doesn't come from the lake. Scary as it sounds, it comes from the Mississippi River. I used to lived in Gretna (near NO) a little over 10 years ago, and I know that we didn't drink the tap water. I was little then, but my mom says they were always telling people not to drink it.


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## shev (Jan 18, 2005)

Yeah thats horrible. toxic to even come in touch with. I was watching the news about it and the reporter said it was a combination of dead bodies, toxic materials, and giant poisonous snakes! lol, I couldnt help but laugh at the last statement.


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

Yuck... I dont know what they are going to do its such a mess.


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Their solution is let nature take care of it. Its to bad that when we as humans mess somthing up we pawn it off for someone else to fix.


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