The water in New Orleans

Filed in archive News on September 10, 2005

ABC News looks at what's in the New Orleans water:

Microbiologist Paul Pearce found total sewage bacteria in a water sample from in New Orleans' Ninth Ward to be 45,000 times what would be considered safe for swimming in a pond or a lake. The Ninth Ward was one of the city's hardest-hit neighborhoods.

"In terms of total microorganisms in floodwater, this is about as bad as it can get," Pearce told ABC News. Pearce also found 2.2 million parts per unit of human waste bacteria in the floodwater, which is off the charts.