June 17, 2019

Paradise events to provide clean water tips to Camp Fire community

PARADISE, Calif. — The 2018 Camp Fire caused large-scale damage to public and private drinking water systems across Butte County. Two events in Paradise, California on Thursday, June 27 will inform the public on tips for better drinking water and plumbing.

Groups from Purdue University and Manhattan College are hosting the events at Paradise Alliance (CMA) Church, 6491 Clark Road, in Paradise. The events are supported by the Rotary Club of Paradise, California.

“The Rotary Club of Paradise and the Paradise Rotary Foundation are working to do all that they can to support the rebuilding and re-establishment of Paradise. Having a safe water supply is the cornerstone to the town’s recovery,” said John Rank, president of the Paradise Rotary Club. “The foundation is proud to support these efforts to make that happen.”

From 4-6 p.m., attendees can participate in walk-by interactive drinking water and plumbing demonstrations led by faculty, staff and students from Purdue University, Butte College, Chico State University and the University of California, Berkeley.

Topics will include tips for how to collect drinking water samples, as well as information on how to understand plumbing materials and water distribution systems. The event also will display examples of water system materials damaged by the Camp Fire and provide opportunities to learn how to make sense of laboratory reports.

Purdue and Manhattan College faculty will present results of the Camp Fire Community Assessment Drinking Water Survey from 7-8:30 p.m. The survey was conducted in May 2019.

The community survey was developed with input from citizens displaced and affected by the Camp Fire. Citizens with private wells and those served by Del Oro Water Co. and the Paradise Irrigation District participated. Surveyed topics included water use, communication and health perceptions, insurance company interactions and in-home drinking water treatment and testing, among other topics.

The presentation and following question-and-answer session will be livestreamed on Facebook in partnership with the Camp Fire Zone Project at https://m.facebook.com/campfirezoneproject/.

The survey presentation will be posted after the meeting at www.PlumbingSafety.org.

“We designed these events so that people can stop by the demonstrations or watch the presentation online. Our goal is to help the community recover from the fire and help them with answers to drinking water and plumbing questions,” said Andrew Whelton, the events organizer and associate professor of civil engineering and environmental and ecological engineering at Purdue University.

Groups from Purdue and Manhattan College have been providing support to the community, county, state and federal agencies since January 2019. In June 2019, the researchers presented results at a National Academies Science, Engineering and Medicine workshop on California wildfires and health impacts. Information about their activities can be found at www.PlumbingSafety.org.

An events flyer can be downloaded at https://bit.ly/2Klaael

Events contact: Andrew Whelton, Purdue University, awhelton@purdue.edu

Purdue University, 610 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, IN 47907, (765) 494-4600

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