The city of Nokia, Finland (home to cell phone company Nokia) is floundering in filthy drinking water after a municipal employee mistakenly sent thousands of gallons of sewage into the water supply.

Skeida

source: Spiegel Online

Nokia has about 30,000 residents. In November 2007, a municipal employee unwittingly released thousands of gallons of sewage into the water supply. Over a month later authorities are still trying to clean it up. The contamination occurred when the employee turned a wrong valve at the city’s sewage treatment plant, a mistake that sent 400,000 liters (105,600 gallons) of only partially filtered waste water spewing down a pipe that feeds the city’s water supply.

The error wasn’t detected until several days later, after scores of Nokia residents had already come down with stomach ailments and influenza. When the contamination was discovered, bacteria counts “exceeded safe levels several-hundred-fold,” according to NewsRoom Finland. The leak in Nokia is the worst water contamination crisis in Finnish history.

Tests also detected a common but nasty form of stomach flu, the norovirus, in the city’s water supply last week. In addition to private residents, the contamination has impacted a local spa and brewery, both of which have been closed until the water supply is deemed potable.

The “Nokia Water Crisis” as they are calling it, is feared do damage the telecommunications giant’s international reputation.