In environmental news — officials are warning that it could take years to restore clean drinking water in New Orleans. Mayor Nagin’s office said E coli bacteria had been found in the flood water, which is contaminated by sewage, dead bodies and toxic chemicals washed out of oil refineries, hospitals and other industrial plants. According to ABC News, flood water in the city’s Ninth Ward contains 45,000 times as much bacteria as considered safe for swimming. To make matters worse, 530 of the city’s sewage treatment plants remain inoperable. The Army Corps of Engineers has begun pumping the contaminated water into Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality told reporters Tuesday that there really isn’t any alternative to pumping the water into the lake or river.