Swimming Pool Or Cesspool?

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Author: Soukup, Elise

HEALTH RISK

The state of evacuees' swimming pools might seem like a low priority in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, but they could pose a substantial health threat. There are thousands of abandoned pools in New Orleans alone--each of which can breed tens of thousands of mosquitoes. And with West Nile lurking in the region, there's the potential for an outbreak. "This should be a very big concern," says Janet McAllister, an entomologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "If left unchecked, the mosquito abundance would make life unlivable outdoors."

It shouldn't get to that point. Using aerial photos, real-estate records and scouts on the ground, the New Orleans Mosquito & Termite Control Board has located some 2,000 abandoned pools and is sending officers to assess the risk and to treat the water with larvicide. But the biggest hero in the war on mosquitoes is an unlikely one: Pat Robertson. His charity, Operation Blessing, has donated thousands of mosquito-eating fish as well as an army of volunteers to distribute them. Each pool gets between 40 and 60 of the guppy-size Gambusia affinis, which are native to the region and can survive in the most disgusting conditions. That's key. Bill Horan, president of Operation Blessing, accidentally fell into one of the pools he was visiting last week: "It looked like a toilet that hadn't been flushed in five years."

PHOTO (COLOR): BITING BACK: Officials warn of a mosquito boom

PHOTO (COLOR): volunteers place bug-eating fish in pools

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By Elise Soukup