Riviera Beach mayor: Fecal contaminant was in city water in summer; investigation demanded

Riviera Beach Mayor Ronnie Felder said this week that, despite what members of the public and the City Council were told, E. coli was found in not one but two city wells and that the fecal contaminant got into the drinking water system.

Felder called for an investigation into not only the contamination but also what members of the public and City Council were belatedly told about it.

The result of that investigation could imperil the tenure of Utilities Director Michael RT Low and City Manager Jonathan Evans, who has the responsibility of hiring and firing city employees under Riviera Beach's system of government.

Escherichia coli — E. coli — is a bacteria that normally lives in the intestines of healthy people and animals. But virulent strains passed through fecal matter can cause stomach cramping and pain, watery or bloody diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Those impacts can, in turn, significantly worsen the condition of people whose health is already compromised.

During a news conference in front of Riviera Beach City Hall, Felder said he intends to launch a "full investigation" into the contamination.

"I plan to determine why this occurrence was not reported to the (state) Health Department in a timely manner, why residents were not notified and a boil water alert was not sent out, as well as why the council and the residents were severely misinformed about the chain of events," said Felder, who has no vote on the City Council and does not have the authority to hire or fire city employees.

Felder added that "after the full investigation is complete, I will share the findings with the residents as well as my colleagues and ask their support in enforcing strict consequences to all involved in this horrible chain of events."

Water contamination issue raised at recent city commission meeting

The investigation Felder announced Monday, Feb. 5 is the second that would examine city administrative work under Evans. In December, Felder launched a broad investigation into city departments, saying the probe is "related to concerns about a hostile work environment, low morale among employees and potential irregularities in the hiring process."

Evans, already hired, fired and re-hired by Riviera Beach, has had the support of at least three of the five members of City Council, but two councilmen, Tradrick McCoy and Douglas Lawson, have repeatedly questioned the city manager's work and pay.

During a special City Council meeting on Jan. 24, McCoy was reading a notice the city sent to residents about the contamination when Lawson attempted to ask the city attorney if the meeting needed to be adjourned because only two members of the five-person council were left following the departure of Council member Shirley Lanier.

McCoy objected to the interruption and the two had a series of terse exchanges that allegedly erupted into a physical altercation after the meeting was adjourned.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is investigating that altercation, and McCoy's colleagues later asked Gov. Ron DeSantis to suspend or remove McCoy, whom they said has displayed increasing levels of anger and belligerence towards them, city employees and members of the public.

McCoy did not attend the special meeting when his colleagues called for his suspension or removal, nor did he attend the mayor's news conference on Monday.

Lawson was there and supported Felder's call for an investigation.

"As of now, the No. 1 priority is the residents' safety and the safety of the drinking water," said Lawson, who added that the drinking water is currently safe.

Like Lawson, Evans attended the mayor's news conference, but would not answer a reporter's question about the call for an investigation.

Low, according to his LinkedIn profile, has served as utilities director in Riviera Beach since 2022. His profile indicates he worked as a water consultant in Wellington and for the City of Boynton Beach before that.

Low did not respond to a series of questions from The Palm Beach Post.

The backstory: E. coli was detected in water in the summer of 2023

On Jan. 19, the city sent a notice to residents announcing that it "recently detected" E. coli in one of its wells.

The notice then told residents that the contamination was not, in fact, recent and had occurred seven months before.

"On June 27, 2023, (Utility Special District) staff collected a sample from Well #14," the notice stated. "The sample tested positive for E. coli. Water from Well #14 including all other groundwater wells are treated at the Water Treatment Plant by filtration and disinfected prior to being sent to the consumer."

The utility is required to notify the state within 24 hours of such contamination, but, the notice stated, "we failed to do so."

"Additionally, we failed to collect additional samples from Well #14 within 24 hours as required by state and federal regulations," the notice stated. "Because of this, the water quality was unknown during the dates of June 27, 2023 and June 28, 2023. Per the regulations, five (5) confirmation samples are required to be taken within 24 hours of learning about the positive sample. However, after receiving confirmation from the laboratory of the positive sample on June 28, 2023, Well #14 was immediately taken out of service."

Follow-up samples from the distribution system in June and routine samples taken in July and August showed "no bacteriological contamination of water from customer taps. Appropriate corrective action was taken to resolve the contamination problem at Well #14 on August 23, 2023."

Before addressing a series of potential questions from residents, the notice closed with: "Although this situation does not create a risk to the public health at this time, as our valued utility customer, you have a right to know what happened and what action was taken to correct the situation."

Felder said Monday that the notice, whose information was relayed to the mayor and City Council on Jan. 31, was not fully accurate.

"After meeting with the Palm Beach County Health Department this morning, they have stated that the information reported at the meeting was not accurate and that E. coli in fecal matter was present in two of our wells and did, in fact, make it into our potable water distribution system," said Felder, who would not answer questions about the contamination after reading his statement calling for an investigation.

The city's utility said it has corrected the problem that led to the contamination.

"After inspecting Well #14, a small hole was found at the top of the well," the utility notice stated. "A maintenance company was hired to repair and disinfect the well. After the repairs were made, we took seven more samples to ensure the well was free from contamination. All of the samples were free and clear of bacteriological contamination. The well was put back into service and have not had any issues since this incident occurred."

The utility said that, to make sure no similar occurrence happens again, "we have hired a company to inspect and perform a full repair and rehab of Well #14 and other wells in our system that have a history of problems. In addition, we are reviewing and updating our procedures so that we follow all of the required rules appropriately, which includes notifying the Florida Department of Health and following the correct sampling procedures."

The state has the authority to fine utilities that do not comply with reporting requirements.

Riviera Beach has a long history of water problems in its city

Water safety and quality have long been a concern in Riviera Beach, whose treatment facility was built in the late 1950s.

PepsiCo, a large and important employer in Riviera Beach, complained in 2021 about a lime sludge left after it ran the city's water through its own filtration system.

McCoy attempted to tour the facility with a PepsiCo representative but was barred from the plant.

IN RIVIERA BEACH: In unprecedented move, city asks governor for Tradrick McCoy's suspension or removal

Then, as now, Evans has insisted the water is safe to drink. But he said the plant needs to be replaced, which, in 2021, he estimated would cost $115 million to $150 million.

Those costs are likely higher now, possibly substantially higher, based on city estimates for the cost of other facilities.

At the time of the lime sludge problem, Evans said the city was committed to having a new plant "coming out of the ground in the next 36 months."

For Evans' statement to be accurate, ground would need to be broken in May. That prospect seems unlikely.

IN RIVIERA BEACH: Mayor launches investigation into 'hostile work environment' concerns

City Council members, sitting as board members of Riviera Beach's Utility District, unanimously approved a new rate structure in September that boosts water rates by 20% in 2024 and 10% in 2025, with 3% increases in each of the following three years. Wastewater rates will rise even more sharply — 27% in 2024, 8% in 2025 and 3% in each of the following three years.

The city said money from those increases will be used to help maintain the current treatment facility and lay the financial groundwork to build a new one.

Wayne Washington is a journalist covering West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and race relations at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Riviera mayor demands investigation after fecal matter found in water