Arlington is shutting down all city pools and splash pads after a deadly amoeba was presumed detected during a water test that was part of a voluntary federal study on splash pad safety.
City officials said Wednesday that water samples taken at California Lane Park, once in July and once in August, were sent to an EPA lab as part of a multi-city study.
The city said they were notified on Tuesday, Aug. 29, that a sample collected on Aug. 17 from the park was presumed positive for the Naegleria fowleri amoeba. To confirm the preliminary results the EPA is doing more testing at a lab in Gainesville, Florida, but said the timing of the final results may be impacted by Hurricane Idalia.
While extremely rare, the amoeba can result in a fatal infection in humans and was blamed for the 2021 death of 3-year-old Bakari Williams, who became ill and died after visiting the city's Don Misenhimer splash pad.
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As part of a wrongful death settlement with the boy's family, the city developed the Bakari Williams Protocol which put additional safety checks in place at the city's aquatic facilities including testing the water several times per day. Arlington was to also invest in health and safety improvements at splash pads and aquatic facilities that will include technology that automatically shuts off the water when readings aren't within acceptable ranges. The facilities also were to add state-of-the-art UV water treatment processes to kill bacteria. Lastly, the city installed signage at aquatic entrances with QR codes that will allow visitors to access current information about water quality at the location.
The city said after they were notified of the presumptive positive test they reviewed inspection records at the park and confirmed that water chlorination levels "were continuously within established ranges throughout the summer, as measured by the automated water chemistry controllers."
Additionally, the city said, "chlorination levels at the splash pad have averaged 3.5 parts per million, which is more than three times the CDC recommended levels, during operating hours."
“The City of Arlington is committed to the highest standards of safety and transparency and will keep the community updated regarding the pending test results,” said Parks and Recreation Director James Orloski. “Our industry-leading protocols and the advanced technology we have in place give us confidence in the chemical monitoring and treatment at our aquatics facilities.”
Arlington officials said there have been no reported infections and that the closure of all public splash pads and pools is being done out of an abundance of caution.
Wednesday, an attorney for Williams's parents said the family was notified about the discovery shortly before a release went out to the public.
"The word that most fairly represents what they felt was disappointment. Even today, the city of Arlington has assured me to communicate to the family that the city of Arlington is complying with the Bakari Williams protocol," said Stephen Stewart "You know, what we hope is that the city of Arlington is not only complying, but that they're fully complying with the Bakari Williams protocol and doing everything that they expressed to the public, and that they expressed to this family, and that was made part of our case, to make sure that these splash pad water features are going to be safe."
AUSTIN-AREA MAN DIES AFTER AMOEBA INFECTION
According to the Austin American-Statesman, Austin Public Health said Wednesday that a Travis County man died from an illness caused by an amoeba after swimming in Lake LBJ earlier this month.
The person contracted amebic meningitis, which develops after being infected by the microscopic Naegleria fowleri.
KXAN-TV, the NBC affiliate in Austin, reported, "The water temperature at Lake LBJ has occasionally peaked as warm as 94 degrees this summer as record heat combines with low pass-through flow."
SPLASH PAD SAFETY
WHAT IS PRIMARY AMEBIC MENINGOENCEPHALITIS (PAM)?
PAM is a rare and often fatal infection caused by the Naegleria fowleri ameba. The parasite, commonly known as the brain-eating amoeba, typically infects people when contaminated water enters the body through the nose. Once the ameba enters the nose, it travels to the brain where it causes PAM, which is usually fatal.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, "Infection typically occurs when people go swimming or diving in warm freshwater places, like lakes and rivers. In very rare instances, Naegleria infections may also occur when contaminated water from other sources (such as inadequately chlorinated swimming pool water or heated and contaminated tap water) enters the nose 1-4. You cannot get infected from swallowing water contaminated with Naegleria."
The risk of N. fowleri infection is very low, with 37 reported infections in the United States between 2010 and 2020, and only 151 since 1962, according to the CDC. Most infections, according to CDC data, present in July and August.
Symptoms of PAM typically present within nine days of infection, according to the CDC. Other than this child, there have been no other instances of this infection reported to Tarrant County Public Health.
Prior to the death of Bakari Williams, the most recent case of PAM in North Texas claimed the life of 10-year-old Lily Avant who died in 2019 nearly a week after doctors confirmed she had contracted Naegleria fowleri swimming in a river near her home in Whitney.
The Kyle Lewis Amoeba Awareness Foundation was created to raise awareness about the deadly disease and offers life-saving nose plugs for parents and their children.
BAKARI WILLIAMS PROTOCOL
The City of Arlington shared the following information about the steps taken to improve safety at its aquatics facilities.
"In 2022, Arlington developed new and industry-leading protocols for aquatics facility maintenance and completed nearly $650,000 in improvements to pools and its four splash pads. Improvements included recommended mechanical upgrades to chemical testing, controllers, and secondary sanitation systems at Arlington aquatics facilities. These rigorous protocols exceed federal, state, and industry minimum standards and include:
- Automated water chemistry controllers with advanced sensors and features designed to produce safe and clean water and automatically shut off any splash pads where water readings are not in the acceptable ranges.
- Manual water quality testing by staff three times daily, exceeding the state requirement of one test per day.
- Chlorine minimum levels between 2.5 ppm and 5 ppm for all splash pads, exceeding the state minimum requirement of 1 ppm.
- Additional staff trained as Certified Pool Operators.
- Addition of QR codes on signs at all aquatics facilities, allowing visitors to access up-to-date water quality information via smartphone devices.
- A departmental reorganization placed aquatic technicians under the operations division, creating a team of other skilled trades groups to work together to ensure the highest quality of work.
- New digital water quality testing capabilities which reduce human error by eliminating visual inaccuracies in the testing process. Upgrades to the secondary sanitation process, including a state-of-the-art ultraviolet (UV) system at splash pads.
- Software that replaces the City's handwritten record process by remotely providing real-time water quality data and inspection records to aquatics employees through an app.
Arlington said their splash pads have been closed since Tuesday, Aug. 29 and that all outdoor public pools have been closed since Sunday, Aug. 27. The East indoor pool was closed Wednesday, Aug. 30. All facilities will remain closed until further notice.
