RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — An infectious disease doctor said Riviera Beach residents need to take precautionary methods after the city's mayor confirmed an E. Coli and fecal matter contamination impacted the drinking water.
Riviera Beach Mayor Ronnie Felder said the water in the city is safe to drink. But he acknowledged that Florida Department of Health officials confirmed the drinking water tested last year by city utility workers was contaminated, contrary to what the city initially claimed.
Riviera Beach
Mayor: E. coli, fecal matter contaminated Riviera Beach drinking water
"What kind of impact could this have on people who've been drinking out of the tap water?" WPTV reporter Joel Lopez asked Dr. Kleper De Almeida with Good Samaritan Medical Center.
"They'll get a diarrheal illness, or they could get viral hepatitis caused by Hepatitis A," De Almeida said. "It's usually not a very alarming situation but one that requires that folks take precautionary measures."
De Almeida said if someone got sick from the water, it could be treated with antibiotics.
City officials have still not released the contamination levels or which two wells in Riviera Beach were affected.
"It's disturbing because that makes people sick," eight-year Riviera Beach resident Robin Murphy said.
She said she drinks tap water regularly but uses her water filter as a way to cut back on plastic water bottles.
"In the last few months, have you felt any symptoms at all?" Lopez said.
"I did have an E.coli infection that they found with a kidney stone," Murphy said. "That was within the last six months and it could be caused by that."
"Are you going to be looking into this? Are you going to be contacting the city?" Lopez asked.
"I think now that you told me, but I didn't even know about it," Murphy said. "I think we need a new water plant, water system, and they need to let people know exactly when they find out. They need to let us know when they find out."
Riviera Beach Utility Director Michael Low told WPTV last week that although the well water was contaminated, the treatment plant made it safe to drink by the time it reached people's homes.
For new Riviera Beach residents like Jose Rosillo, the water quality was a concern for him and his wife.
"The second week we noticed that it was like, yeah, look you can see right there, the tint, it's not clear," Rosillo said, pointing to the water. "That was my wife's main concern if it was safe to cook with."
He describes the water as having a tint to it and said it feels slimy to the touch.
Rosillo and his wife said they've resorted to drinking bottled water.
"It's more clear," he said. "I feel more safe to drink this one than the yellow one."