RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — City workers in Riviera Beach found water contaminated with fecal bacteria June 27, 2023, in a test of one of the city's many wells.
However, it did not notify the public until a post on the city's web page last week.
That post drew the ire of City Council Member Tradrick McCoy.
"Nobody should be sitting here waiting seven months for an explanation about why there's fecal matter contamination in the city's well-water supply," McCoy said at the most recent city council meeting.
So, why didn't Riviera Beach Utility Director Michael Low notify the public immediately?
"Because there was no need because we have a treatment plant here," Low said.
He said that even though well water was contaminated, it was filtered at the treatment plant and made clean, safe and drinkable by the time it reached people's homes.
As for the seven-month delay in notification, Low said it took the county health department that long to sign off on the language of the public notice.
"We followed all the rules that they asked us to follow," Low said.
Low said he's confident in the lab tests that show the water treated in June and went to city homes and businesses was safe to drink.
But many who live in the city wonder why they're finding out about it seven months later.
"Right now? That's not good," construction worker Bernard Ferguson said.
He said many in the city wonder if the aging treatment plant is keeping the water clean.
He lives near a neighborhood where homeowners have complained of yellow tap water.
"When you're dealing with feces in any kind of way, that's very important for people to know right away," Ferguson said.
The city's utility director said the water that goes out from the treatment plan is tested every two hours.
When WPTV asked him how people can be confident in the results, Low pointed out that the lab is independent and overseen by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Environmental Protection Agency.
"I drink it every day," Low said.
He said his department should have notified the Department of Health as soon as it discovered the well water contamination.
His department could face fines, but he said despite a contaminated well, no one's health was jeopardized.
