A video featuring Andrew Whelton, a professor of civil, environmental and ecological engineering at Purdue University and the director of the Center for Plumbing Safety, has been uploaded to the AP Video Hub.
In the video, he explains how wildfires can lead to the contamination of water utilities in affected communities. This video can be found at https://bit.ly/3bNS0RL.
Whelton is a national expert on water contamination and is regularly called to help communities recover from devastating wildfires. He says that during a disaster response, water utilities are focused on fighting the fire. At the same time, they are trying to stop infrastructure from leaking and losing pressure. Whelton says that if pressure is lost, contaminants can enter the system and mix with the water. This contaminated water is then transported to people's homes and other places in the community. Whelton says that it is important to educate these agencies on how to look and test for contamination.
Categories: Indiana, Education