Human Pathogenic Viruses in Groundwater and the Human Health Risk

Mark Borchardt
U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center

ABSTRACT: Human enteric viruses are well-known contaminants of groundwater supplies, and yet the level of illness risk associated with drinking virus-contaminated groundwater is not fully understood. This seminar will report the level of acute gastrointestinal illness in communities that use non-disinfected groundwater as their municipal drinking water source. In addition, absent a chlorine residual in these non-disinfecting systems, it was possible to estimate the level of illness solely related to virus contamination events in the drinking water distribution systems. Also presented will be a ground waterborne virus outbreak investigation that led to surprising findings.