Testing for Safety
In response to increasing public concern about water-borne illnesses, the Three Rivers Water Filtration Plant began using an outside laboratory to monitor "raw" water from the river, and "finished" water at the end of the treatment process for Cryptosporidium and Giardia. While there is no Environmental Protection Agency requirement that utilities test for the parasite Cryptosporidium, Fort Wayne City Utilities has been voluntarily performing the tests monthly since October 1994.

Besides looking for evidence of Cryptosporidium in finished water, City Utilities has been working with the Fort Wayne-Allen County Board of Health to establish ways to monitor the community for evidence of water-borne illnesses. With the assistance of the Board of Health, a public information plan has been created with procedures for public notification in the event of an outbreak of a water-borne illness.