Father whose son died from a ‘brain-eating amoeba' upset about the possible detection of the same organism in a different Arlington splash pad

Public pools and splash pads in Arlington remain closed out of precaution after a sample showed the possible presence of a deadly amoeba in the water.

Two years ago, a 3-year-old boy died after he was infected with the same rare brain-eating amoeba while playing at a different splash pad in the city.

"I lost it, immediately, like how? How, how does that happen?" said Tariq Williams, whose son Bakari died on Sept. 11, 2021. “It's like we've been teleported back to do that day two years ago. Now we're regurgitating emotions, things that we thought dealt with but we hadn’t.”

His son, Bakari, became sick and died after visiting Don Misenhimer splash pad in Arlington. Health professionals would learn he had been infected with Naegleria Fowleri Amoeba, also known as a 'brain-eating amoeba.' It's a rare microscopic organism that can enter through the nose and can be fatal.

“The thought of losing a child, that will break a person. To actually lose your child, that destroys you," expressed Williams who said he and his fiancé unfortunately lost another child to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) several years ago.

He said he's upset about the news of a possible positive test showing signs of the same amoeba that his son died from in a kids' splash pad.

“I can't imagine the same thing happening to anyone else’s kid," said Williams who went on to express that he wouldn't wish that on his worst enemy.

The city of Arlington says it was notified on Tuesday that a sample of water collected at California Lane Park on August 17 came back as a presumed positive for the deadly amoeba. The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, is conducting more tests at a lab in Florida, but the recent hurricane could delay test results.

"Just the fact that there's even that preliminary possibility is shocking," said Brian Hargrove, a personal injury attorney who represents the Williams.

He said they are also very 'disappointed' by the news of the possible detection because as part of a settlement with the family, the city of Arlington implemented a new set of policies called 'Bakari Williams Protocol'

“The whole purpose of what we did and what the family wanted to achieve, was this would never ever happen to the family, not only in our community but all the communities nationwide," said Hargrove. "These protocols are designed to prevent this from ever happening again."

“I'm glad that the city took immediate action when they learned it was a preliminary positive finding and took immediate action to shut the pools down, shut the splash pads down, but the fact that there's even a possibility that it came up positive?" questioned Hargrove who said it was tough to even articulate that there's even a chance the same rare deadly organism might have been found in the same city two years later in an aquatics facility frequented by kids.

"When it comes to kids, there should be like a zero tolerance of anything that can even remotely put them at risk of being harmed," said Williams. "The entire purpose of us even you know, creating this protocol and trying to get awareness out is so we wouldn't have to be right back here at square one two years later."

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.

"This shows me they've taken some accountability, which I love that but I don’t know if it’s enough, not for me personally," said Williams who continues to learn how to cope with the loss of his son. “I mean, it did what it was supposed to do. You know, found something before anyone suffers. Shut it down, and can reassess and figure out a solution, and go forward. But just to hear that. I lost it," said Williams.

He described Bakari as a child who 'loved life' and taught him how to live in the present.

"He taught me how to enjoy the moment, enjoy life because we don’t get those moments back, we don’t know when our last day is," said a tearful Williams.

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.