Prior to January practically no one among the general population had heard of coronavirus, but the first case identified on December 31, 2019 changed that as headlines across the globe warned about the potentially deadly disease. It spread so quickly that by March it was deemed a pandemic.

Panic took hold as people wondered how to avoid becoming infected – what to touch and what not to touch to stay safe. A cleaning frenzy began, with common surfaces such as counters, tables, shopping cart handles and railings being wiped down continuously with disinfecting cloths. Do not touch your face, eyes, mouth or nose. Wear masks and gloves in public. Keep washing your hands.

What about the water supply? Is it safe to drink? Can the COVID-19 virus exist there?

Concerns about water safety seemed reasonable. Folks old enough to recall the polio outbreak in the early 1950s know the terror that worried parents at that time as children frequently contracted the crippling and sometimes deadly disease. Signs at beaches cautioned visitors not to stop there. Public swimming pools and sprinklers at parks were considered taboo as rumors circulated that the disease was carried in water.

Despite those concerns, consumers can feel relief to know that AVEK’s water supply is safe. It’s safe to drink, safe to bathe, safe for laundry because of ozone used in the disinfection process at the treatment plants.

Ozone was first used in this nation in 1940 for disinfecting drinking water supplies in Whiting, Indiana. From there its use spread throughout the United States. By 2015, 300 major water treatment plants in this country implemented that procedure for water disinfection. That number is expected to grow for use in 425 treatment plants this year.

Ozone has a 99% effectiveness rate. After 30 seconds of exposure to ozone, the COVID-19 virus is destroyed. Ozone destroys pathogens like the coronavirus. Ozone damages viral RNA – ribonucleic acid at the core of living cells, molecules responsible for coding in genetics.

A news release on April 10 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency assured consumers across the nation that water supplies from their kitchen sink are safe to drink providing they have gone through the disinfection procedures practiced by purveyors, a stance supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As far as water quality, information from the CDC backed EPA’s contention that the disinfection process keeps drinking water free of the COVID-19 virus.

“Conventional water treatment methods that use filtration and disinfection, such as those in most municipal drinking water systems, should remove or inactivate the virus that causes COVID-19,” the CDC stated.

With summer here and uncertainty of when the pandemic will end, the CDC noted that there is no indication that COVID-19 can spread to humans through swimming pools; hot tubs or spas; or water playgrounds. However, the CDC also emphasized the need for proper operation, maintenance and disinfection with chlorine and bromine of those facilities, procedures that “should inactivate the virus that causes COVID-19.”