ABSTRACT
In May 2000, seven people lost their lives and over 2,300 became ill after drinking water contaminated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Campylobacter jejuni bacteria from manure spread on a farm near Well 5 in Walkerton, Ontario. The staffs responsible for safe drinking water were cut from 161 to 43, which led to a decrease in the number of tests in water, including testing for E. coli in water plants like Walkerton. Justice Dennis O'Connor’s report "points to the region's public utilities managers and Ontario government cutbacks as contributors to the Walkerton tragedy". His report also "points to the region's public utilities managers and Ontario government cutbacks as contributors to the tragedy". O'Connor concluded: "The most serious case of water contamination in Canadian history could have been prevented by proper chlorination of drinking water, according to a judicial inquiry report about Walkerton, Ontario's fatal E. coli outbreak".
