A Perilous Choice: COVID Patients Or Safe Drinking Water?

By Jim Lauria

In August 2021, as Florida's hospitals were filling up with COVID-19 patients, the mayor of Orlando pleaded with local residents to reduce water use to free up liquid oxygen (LOX) — used both in water purification and medical ventilators — to provide life support for victims of the pandemic. The Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) was operating the ozonation systems at its eight water treatment plants with just half its normal oxygen supply, prompting the mayor to call for a 40 million gallon per day decrease in water demand.