The Stone County Health Department (SCHD) will be at the Crane Broiler Festival (CBF) to provide public health services to Stone County residents on Friday, Aug. 26^th from 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 27^th from 10 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Water testing kits, health risk assessments, blood pressures, and health education will be available at the Stone County Health Department tent.
SCHD Environmental Services will have water kits available for those who want to have their private well water tested for coliform bacteria (including E.coli) and/or nitrate (hardiness, alkalinity, pH) levels. Water testing will not be available during this year’s CBF.

Residents obtaining water kits from SCHD’s booth during CBF will need to bring their water samples to either SCHD locations.  The Galena office accepts water samples on Monday – Thursday from 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. The Branson West office accepts them on Tuesdays from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.  The fees for the bacteriological analysis are $15 and $5 for the nitrate screening. However, for those residents obtaining a kit at the CBF will receive the nitrate screening at no charge.

Private well water should be tested for nitrate and bacterial contamination annually. Otherwise, drinking water from a private well should be tested if you notice a change in your water quality resulting from:

• people, using the water, suffer from an illness which may be waterborne.
• a flood or large storm that may have carried contaminants to your wellhead.
• maintenance work done on the well.
• a pregnant woman, a woman anticipating pregnancy, or an infant under the age of six months becomes a water user

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reported that consumption of contaminated drinking water in the United States has resulted in thousands of cases of illness each year. Contaminated drinking water can cause a number of diseases, and is sometimes fatal. The most common contaminants are microbes and nitrate. Many types of bacteria themselves are generally not harmful, but their presence is an indication that other harmful bacteria, viruses, or parasites may also be present. Diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting are some of the most common symptoms resulting from drinking water that is contaminated with harmful bacteria. SCHD tests for total coliform bacteria (including E.coli) which are microbes found in the digestive systems of humans and warm blooded animals, in soil, on plants, and in surface water.  If total coliform is present, then it is possible that feces and harmful germs like viruses, bacteria, and parasites might be found in the water.  These harmful germs can cause diarrhea, dysentery, and hepatitis.

High levels of nitrate in drinking water can pose an immediate
threat to infant children. When consumed, nitrate is known to react with hemoglobin
in the blood causing an anemic condition known as the “blue baby syndrome.”

The Stone County Health Department invites you to stop by our booth at the Broiler Festival to receive water kits and public health information.

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