Cryptosporidium
Cryptosporidium is a microscopic organism that lives in the intestines of animals and people. When ingested, this microscopic pathogen may cause a disease called cryptosporidiosis, which has flu-like symptoms. Although there has been no cryptosporidium found in treated finished drinking water, cryptosporidium is found in source water such as White River, Fall Creek and Eagle Creek Reservoir.
Indianapolis Water utilizes a stringent monitoring program, testing source water and finished drinking water as well as using online monitors that measure the clarity of the water, which helps determine the likeliness of the microbe's presence in the drinking water. At the surface water treatment plants, physical removal by coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation and filtration is used to eliminate the pathogen from drinking water.
