No Beaver Fever: An Open Letter To Better Manage Penn State's Water Filters | Onward State

Nov 01, 2024

It’s time to take more care of your water filters, Penn State.

As someone who over-hydrates, I had to buy water in the HUB last week because all of the water stations had the red light flashing to signal that the filters needed to be replaced. Yes, I know, I could suck it up and drink the unfiltered water, but I shouldn’t have to.

After doing some research, I discovered Penn State has installed 403 water bottle filling stations as of July 2022. This seems like a lot, but it doesn’t matter when the filters aren’t being replaced. Again, I know what you’re thinking. I could just drink the unfiltered water, but here are some reasons why that could be dangerous.

In the 1980s, a localized outbreak of giardiasis (also known as beaver fever) took Pennsylvania by storm. Within the first eight weeks of 1984, 63 people had contracted giardiasis from drinking water. This caused Pennsylvania residents to boil their water before drinking it. Symptoms of beaver fever consisted of diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, and fatigue, often appearing one to two weeks after exposure to contaminated water.

Studies showed the outbreak was caused by inadequate chlorination systems, improperly operated and maintained filtration equipment, and even unfiltered water supplies. Although giardiasis doesn’t have any long-term effects, it caused the state of Pennsylvania to invest more in high-cost filtration systems.

If that doesn’t make you want a green light on Penn State hydration stations, I don’t know what will.

Although the red light on the water stations won’t directly harm you, it just means the water you’re drinking isn’t filtered. The filter is less likely to filter out bacteria such as Giardia and chlorine, which can lead to health risks.

Not having the filter is an inconvenience for students and even the environment. Like me, some students may feel compelled to buy a plastic water bottle. Using a water filter instead of disposable water bottles can have a significant positive impact on the environment. Plastic water bottles take hundreds of years to decompose and require large amounts of energy and oil to produce and transport.

The inconvenience of unreliable water filters undermines Penn State’s commitment to sustainability. The university has invested in hydration stations as part of its push toward eco-friendliness, encouraging students to reduce plastic waste and rely on reusable bottles instead of disposable plastic bottles, benefiting the environment.

When the filters aren’t changed regularly, however, students are more likely to resort to buying bottled water, counteracting this initiative and increasing single-use plastic consumption on campus.

The act of keeping these hydration stations in working order by regularly replacing filters would not only improve water quality for students but also strengthen Penn State’s commitment to the environment.

A small maintenance task like replacing water filters may seem minor, but it plays an essential role in creating a healthier campus environment and achieving Penn State’s sustainability goals.

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Alex is a second-year Journalism major from Sarasota, Florida. Alex is a huge Tampa Bay sports fan and even has a cat named Kucherov. You can contact her at [email protected].

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