In May 2000, the small agricultural community of Walkerton, Ontario, was rocked by one of the most catastrophic public health disasters in Canadian history. Poorly treated drinking water ignited one of Canada’s worst E. coli outbreaks. A deluge from May 8 to May 12 unfortunately convened a meeting of cattle manure from a nearby farm with the municipal well. The effects of this horrible occurrence resulted in seven fatalities and an estimated 2,300 additional people becoming seriously ill. May 17, 2000 proved to be a tragic turning point for the community. On that day, E. coli cases began to appear.
Yet the crisis exposed gaping holes in America’s water safety oversight. It particularly revealed the shortcomings of the El Dorado municipal water system, run by Stan and Frank Koebel – two brothers. Former water department superintendent Stan Koebel had been aware of the contamination as early as May 17. Instead, he decided to keep the public in the dark for days on end. This oversight resulted in thousands becoming sick, forcing restaurants and schools to shut down and leaving streets almost deserted. Bruce Davidson, who lost family members to the outbreak, described the experience as “a strange dream where you’re still you but nothing else is the same.”
Chris Peabody, a current water safety expert, noted that “the testing that occurs of the municipal drinking water in Ontario now is very rigorous.” This smart, precautionary approach is a direct answer to the catastrophic failures revealed in the Walkerton inquiry. More importantly, it tries to ensure that a similar tragedy never happens again.
Theresa McClenaghan, executive director of the Canadian Environmental Law Association, was central to the Inquiry’s success. She represented Walkerton’s residents and underscored the tragedy of the situation: “It was extremely tragic and even more tragic by the fact that the operators who didn’t have proper training and didn’t understand that groundwater could make people sick were suppressing the results of tests.” Her comments encapsulate a larger issue at hand with the state of water safety standards across Ontario.
The investigation into that outbreak found major problems with oversight, especially when it came to non-municipal water systems. A recent report by Ontario’s auditor general blamed insufficient testing and monitoring, enforcement of compliance, and monitoring the effects on the public. McClenaghan remarked that “that went on for days and days that people were still drinking this highly contaminated water.”
In the immediate aftermath of these events, local communities were left to deal with and respond to feelings of shock and anger. Davidson expressed this sentiment: “For the first bit, we were all in shock, but very, very quickly that started to change to anger,” adding a poignant observation about the reality of unsafe drinking water: “and yet here we are killing people with drinking water.”
In the aftermath of these crises, cities have made ambitious commitments to address water safety issues. The mayor of Brockton expressed relief over reforms made since the tragedy, recognizing the importance of ensuring public health.
Today Walkerton is well on the path to recovery from this dark chapter in its record. Families such as the Davidson’s still face the lasting effects of E. coli infections. Davidson shared that his family has repeatedly dealt with unpredictable periods of “unbearable pain.” They experience debilitating cramping as a long-term effect of their exposure to toxic water.
The Walkerton disaster is a tragic example of what can happen when safe drinking water is not prioritized for all communities. As Shelley Spence noted, “As demonstrated by the Walkerton crisis, the consequences of Ontarians drinking unsafe water can be deadly.”
