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2 Arizona Water Resource March 1995 Cryprosporidium, crmtinMed from page 1 19 AIDS patients in Las Vegas. Even low-levels are a cause for concern, however. Chuck Gerba of the University of Arizona's Department of Soil and Water Science, says, "At those low levels you proba- bly are not going to see an outbreak. But you may get low- level transmission throughout the community, And so it has to be looked at more from that standpoint.' Gerba's UA lab developed the first method for detecting crypto in water. "They say there were only three cases last year. But, in reality, only six people may have been tested all year. " Arizona Department of Health Services spokesman Jeff Davis said no cases of cryptosporidiosis have been reported in Arizona this year. Seven unrelated cases were reported last year, with four in Maricopa County, and one each in Pima, Apache and Yavapai counties, Gerba questions the accuracy of such reports providing statistics of numbers infected by the parasite, "They say there were only three cases in Phoenix last year. But, in reality, only six people may have been tested all year." The effects of crypto at this level are difficult to trace because of the diseases's rather lengthy incubation period of seven days, Few cases, therefore, are properly diagnosed. Most infected people assume their nausea and diarrhea are .from something they ate the day before. The parasite comes from the feces of wild and domestic animals and is found in up to 87 percent of untreated water supplies. Rain runoff carries the parasite to surface water supplies, Gerba estimates that crypto is in about one third of the country's finished drinking water supplies. The parasite causes severe diarrhea and nausea, Healthy individuals recover in about 10 days, but the virus can be deadly for children, the elderly or anyone with a weak immune system, such as those affected by AIDS, Phoenix and Mesa are testing for crypto even though it is not required. A rule scheduled to go into effect next year will require water utilities servicing more than 10,000 to sample their raw water. If a certain level of crypto is detect- ed, then they are to sample theiifinished water for 18 months, The EP A once thought only heavily contaminated water threatened human health, In a recent New England Journal of Medicine, however, researchers from the University of Texas reported that crypto is far more infectious that previ- ously thought. In response to the NEJM article, Carol Browner, EP A administrator, called for further research on the parasite and ways of detecting it. She mentioned that Congress is sched. uled to vote later this year on the reauthorization of the Safe Drinking Water Act, amid speculation the law will be made less restrictive, Grand Canyon Flood, crmtinMed from po 1 water and power industry prompted the delaying tactic. They fear the action marks the beginning of political wran- gling over the experimental flood. The Western Area Power Administration, which mar- kets the dam's power, is wary of the flooding strategy and ~ its accompanying high costs. W AP A estimates a $4.5-million revenue loss from releasing flood waters that would bypass hydropower turbines, The flood would require the release of 45,000 cubic feet of water per second (cfs). The dam has a generating capacity of about 30,000 cfs which means about 15,000 cfs would bypass the turbines. The Upper Colorado River Commission, which repre- sents four states with Colorado River entitlements in the upper basin, raised a legal objection. Commission Director Wayne Cook claims the BuRec is overstepping its bounds by scheduling the flood, Also, Cook fears an unfortunate precedent may be set if the Secretary of the Interior is able to authorize a flood. A Grand Canyon flood authorized by the Secretary could lead to other flood approvals, to the disadvantage of the power industry. For example, water could be made to bypass generators in the Northwest to study salmon migration, , Some fl.o~d critics c~aimed the planned flood was a major actlon reqwnng an EnVIronmental Impact Statement. Oth- ers countered this argument by pointing out that the experi- mental flood already is included in the BuRec EIS. To conduct an EIS on the flood would therefore involve doing an EIS on an EIS, BuRec referred the issue to John Leshy, Interior Depart- ment's Solicitor General, to determine if the agency has the right in this instance to schedule a flood and bypass the turbines. Leshy has not yet issued an opinion. Observers perceive a major legal battle brewing, and some conservationists speculate that BuRec's flood post- ponement was in response to this legal threat. Such a court battle could play out over a long period of time, well past the scheduled date of the flood. Instead of taking on a legal battle now, a suggested strategy is to wait for the Secretary to act on the EIS which includes provisions for the spring high-water research flows, The floods could then become part of the EIS's record of decision, Other conservationists are wary of this scenario. Such a record of decision is not expected to be in effect for a year, during spring of 1996. This will be a politically sensitive time, and the Secretary and the Democrats may be reluctant to take on a highly charged environmental issue, with legal challenges threatening. Also, litigation in response to a BuRec approved flood could take years to resolve. Meanwhile, as the flood controversy runs its course, another issue related to Glen Canyon Dam operations arose, The EIS that included flood release provisions also recom- mended increasing both the maximum permissible flow from the dam and the rate at which the dam releases may be increased, Environmentalists fear the boosted water releases will harm vegetation and wildlife and further erode beaches.