In: Advanced Math
A small town gets its water supply from three nearby lakes, A, B, and C. Sometimes in the late summer
the water level in a lake falls below a certain critical level. When this occurs, there is a risk that the water
from that lake will become polluted with E-Coli. If the water supply to the town becomes polluted, the
residents are advised to boil their water. If only the water level at lake A falls below the critical level,
experience has shown that the residents will have a 5% chance of a boil water advisory. Similarly, if
only the water levels at lakes B or C fall below the critical level, chances of a boil water advisory are
4% and 7%, respectively. If two or more lakes fall below the critical levels simultaneously, the risk
of a boil water advisory rises to 40%. Lake A falls below the critical level in 30% of the summers,
while this number is 50% and 20% for lakes B and C, respectively. The probability that exactly two
lakes will fall below their critical levels simultaneously is 12%, and it is equally likely to be any two of
the three. Finally, there is a 3% chance that all three lakes will simultaneously fall below their critical
levels. During some summer in the future:
a) What is the probability that the residents will have a boil water advisory? (answer:0.0914)
b) If the residents have a boil water advisory, what is the probability that the water level will fall
below the critical level at lake B alone? (answer:0.1707)
c) If the residents have a boil water advisory, what is the probability that the water level will fall
below the critical levels at two or more lakes simultaneously? (answer:0.6565)