Beschreibung:
<jats:p>A fire at a chemical manufacturing plant near Basel, Switzerland, in November 1986 released tons of toxic materials into the vital Rhine River, killing hundreds of thousands of fish and affecting other aquatic life. Although the response to the accident was not immediate, Europeans were well prepared. The plume of contamination was systematically monitored as it descended past Germany and France to the Netherlands. Drinking water utilities were prepared to shut down intakes, if necessary, because the Rhine water is pretreated and allowed to settle for days in wells before final treatment and distribution. Actual damage from the spill was thus limited, and the river recovered within a week of the accident. Water utilities in the United States are advised to take comparable precautions if supplies from similar industrialized river basins are used.</jats:p>