Local News
Federal investigation provides clues about how fecal matter got into Riviera Beach water
Since Riviera Beach officials first announced in January that water from a city well had tested positive for E. coli seven months earlier, questions have remained unanswered about the quality of the city’s drinking water.
WPTV has been working to get those answers.
The mayor and utility director have not answered my questions, despite numerous requests over the past few months.
Now, recently obtained U.S. Environmental Protection Agency records of its interactions with Riviera Beach are getting WPTV closer to those answers.
Holes in well casings, leaking pumps and plants growing out of a clarifier are just a few of the findings detailed in this federal inspection report for Riviera Beach’s public drinking water system that EPA agents inspected in October 2023, about four months after tests revealed E. coli in one of the city’s wells and three months before city leaders told the public about it in January.
“How sure are you that the water was safe to drink?” WPTV investigative reporter Dave Bohman asked Riviera Beach utility director Michael Low in January.
“I’m sure,” Low said.
He said repairs were made to the well where the bacteria was found, and the treatment plant is designed to get rid of that bacteria before the water goes out to homes and businesses.
“Our procedure and our process provided the necessary surety to the public,” Low said.
After that conversation, WPTV uncovered records from the Florida Department of Health revealing E. coli was also detected in a well in early June and at a home in August.
Low wouldn’t answer questions about those tests, but in an email to the Florida Department of Health, he said the June result was a false positive.
Low later told my colleague Ethan Stein when approached at a meeting that the August test was also a false positive but did not provide any information to support that.
“Scientifically speaking, everything they’re doing is right,” Dr. Esber Andiroglu said.
Andiroglu is a civil engineering and architecture professor at the University of Miami. He specializes in water infrastructure.
“We are at a global scale facing water scarcity and access to fresh, clean water,” he said.
Because Miami is not part of his viewing area, Andiroglu had not seen WPTV’s ongoing coverage of Riviera Beach’s water. So, I asked him to review the inspection report.
“Ongoing maintenance and operation seems to be kind of, like, falling short and then I noticed number of opportunities where that fecal matter could have been introduced,” he said.
Those opportunities, Andiroglu said, are mainly from the holes and leaks spotted by inspectors.
“So if water is leaking out, then the reverse can also happen and contaminants can penetrate in,” he said.
Andiroglu said while the inspection report provides clues about how the bacteria got into the water, there could be other contributing factors like contaminated soil that wouldn’t have been identified in an inspection.
But Adiroglu also pointed to procedural deficiencies noted in the report that could have helped identify the source of any contamination, including an incomplete bacteria sampling plan and a lack of maintenance records.
“In my mind, they’re easy to resolve, but, you know, why aren’t they happening?” Adiroglu said.
According to the report, the utility provided evidence that some of those issues were taken care of by Oct. 31.
In response to the EPA’s findings, the utility provided its revised bacteriological sampling plan.
The response included photos of replaced gauges, sealed holes and other necessary repairs.
But the utility also said it was still working to fix other problems. It was still “seeking a vendor” for some repairs.
While the utility agreed that “maintenance records were not well kept,” it was at the time of the October response still in the middle of “implementing a new software program” to keep those records.
Low declined my request for an interview and a firsthand look at the repairs, citing unspecified “security implications” as the reason.
Still, Andiroglu hopes the conversation about Riviera Beach’s water can continue.
“We got to identify really a heart-to-heart discussion with this agency, that jurisdiction, why these defects happen? Why they were not addressed in a timely manner? And why do they continue to persist?” he said.
He believes a system like Riviera Beach, which only serves one community instead of an entire region, will be vital to address water and energy shortages in the future.
“It is important that we make these types of operations a success but if we are doing a bad job with this one, it kind of puts the brakes on everyone else who may want to do this because everyone can turn and say, ‘Look, that was attempted and it failed,'” Andiroglu said.
About a month ago, WPTV identified signs that the drinking water is safe in Riviera Beach by testing the tap water. You can see that report in the video below.
WATCH: WPTV tests Riviera Beach tap water
WPTV tests Riviera Beach tap water following concerns
PREVIOUS REPORTING:
Riviera Beach well tests positive for fecal bacteria; public not notified until 7 months later (Jan. 26) E. coli, fecal matter ‘did, in fact,’ contaminate Riviera Beach drinking water, mayor says (Feb. 5) Drinking contaminated water could cause ‘diarrheal illness’ (Feb. 5) Riviera Beach concluded positive E. Coli water test ‘false positive,’ emails show (Feb. 7) Current, former Riviera Beach elected officials express concerns of prior water issues (Feb. 7) Lawmaker proposes utilities notify public immediately after drinking water tests positive for contaminants (Feb. 7) Another water sample tested positive for fecal bacteria in August, but city official says it’s incorrect (Feb. 8) Newly-obtained document reveals more contaminated water in Riviera Beach (Feb. 9) Riviera Beach residents still waiting on answers about water quality (Feb. 22) 2 Riviera Beach council members break promise to get answers on water contamination by next meeting (Feb. 23) Riviera Beach man sues utility district, claims drinking water made him sick (Feb. 28) Multiple Riviera Beach council members unaware investigation into June water contamination completed (Feb. 29) By: Jamie Ostroff
Title: Federal investigation provides clues about how fecal matter got into Riviera Beach water
Sourced From: www.wptv.com/news/local-news/investigations/riviera-beach-epa-findings-on-water-contamination
Published Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2024 18:21:04 GMT
Local News
‘I have to miss her forever’: Victim’s friend grieves loss after couple killed in Wellington
WPTV is learning more about the Wellington husband and wife who detectives said were gunned down by their neighbor following a dispute over a basketball hoop.
NewsChannel 5 spoke to a close friend of the victims, Taylor and Tara Jones, about the life they built with their four children who are now without their mother and father.
Ashley Newby said the couple moved with their children to Florida from the West Coast in April 2022.
For Newby, it was an exciting reunion that she said was overdue.
“I think we both cried. We cried for like the whole phone call just making plans of them being able to where they were moving to how close it was going to be to us, where the kids were going to go to school, what sports they were going to play,” Newby said. “It just brought our whole life back together that we had missed for so long for her being so far away.”
The friendship between Newby and the Jones family runs deep.
She said she met Tara Jones in 2003 in Florida when they both worked at Ale House. Their decades-long friendship grew from there.
“Tara knew my husband and as soon as we met Taylor he was part of the family too, so it was the four of us a lot,” Newby said. “We did everything together before they moved away, so for them to come back and then meet our kids, because I have three boys, and they’re close to the same age.”
She described Tara Jones as a bright, nurturing soul and said she was there for her through the highs and lows of life.
That included her wedding day and most recently in January when Newby was grieving the loss of her aunt.
“She knew how important she was to me,” Newby said. “I just needed her hug and her comfort because that’s just the energy in the aura she gives off.”
Newby is now grieving the loss of both Taylor and Tara in what has been described as a senseless murder.
Newby said it all hasnt sunken in yet.
“Not at all. I actually texted her phone. I texted her phone and asked her to please just tell me this isnt real because it feels like a nightmare,” she said.
Now all she has left are memories and messages.
“I actually on a cellular level miss you guys,” Newby said reading through Tara’s past text message exchanges. “I said, ‘I miss you too,’ and that was it. I said, ‘Miss you too,’ and now I have to miss her forever.”
Newby said she has nothing but great things to tell the Jones’ four children.
“I would absolutely tell them that your parents lived their life. They lived for you and they loved life, and you have to keep that legacy going to because life is now too short.”
The suspect, Norman Scott, 63, is a licensed aircraft mechanic.
He’s facing charges of two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm and is being held without bond.
The WPTV investigative team found that he had no criminal history before Saturday’s shooting.
By: Chris Gilmore
Title: ‘I have to miss her forever’: Victim’s friend grieves loss after couple killed in Wellington
Sourced From: www.wptv.com/news/region-c-palm-beach-county/wellington/i-have-to-miss-her-forever-victims-friend-grieves-loss-after-couple-killed-in-wellington
Published Date: Tue, 07 May 2024 21:49:42 GMT
Local News
Florida Atlantic University study: Florida rental increase are slowly according to March data
After years of astronomical rent growth, Florida rents are finally settling down compared to the national average, according to researchers at Florida Atlantic University and two other schools.
“I would say 80% of my check goes directly towards the rent,” Laura Guilmain told WPTV.
That’s an unfortunate reality that Guilmain shares with many renters in South Florida.
“You’re always in the negative, if you have credit cards, you’re borrowing against your credit cards to make each month’s meets, you know,” Guilmain said.
According to a new study by FAU, there is some good news on the horizon. Rental increases in Florida are finally starting to settle down, compared to the national average.
End of March data shows a national rent increase of 3.5% but only a 2.7% increase in South Florida.
“It looks like rents are probably going to be under control in terms of, we’re not going to see dramatic rent increases for a while,” Dr. Ken Johnson, FAU real estate expert, said. “As long as we keep up the production of the number of units that we’ve been doing,”
However, Johnson said South Florida’s incomes still have not caught up with the current average rental prices. According to the study, in South Florida, “a household needs to make at least $109,925 to avoid paying more than 30% of their income toward rent.”
“Miami, Miami metro, this tri-county, is still in the most unaffordable areas in terms of rent to live in the country. That’s a big number,” Johnson said.
On top of that, with home prices as high as they are in South Florida, many renters feel buying is still far out of reach.
“We’re in debt trying to purchase. So, you’re not getting approved to purchase. So, you’re stuck in the renters circle,” Guilmain said.
By: Jessica Bruno
Title: Florida Atlantic University study: Florida rental increase are slowly according to March data
Sourced From: www.wptv.com/money/real-estate-news/florida-atlantic-university-study-florida-rental-increase-are-slowly-according-to-march-data
Published Date: Tue, 07 May 2024 21:32:36 GMT
Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.news4palmbeach.com/local-news/new-elementary-school-breaks-ground-in-booming-western-palm-beach-county/
A new elementary school is coming to western Palm Beach County and sooner than expected.
The School District of Palm Beach County broke ground Tuesday on what is known as the “Western Acreage Area School” at least until it gets an official name. The school is located just off Southern Boulevard, west of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road and the Arden community.
The school will become the 183rd in The School District of Palm Beach County.
“Let’s say it, everybody ‘We did it’, ‘We did it,'” cheered School Board Member Marcia Andrews, who represents the area.
This was a moment a long time in the making for the Loxahatchee area.
Superintendent Mike Burke said the taxpayer-funded half-penny sales tax helped make it happen.
And with so much construction in the area, the school board wanted the dirt moving sooner rather than later.
“They saw the need to accelerate this project in our budget by two years because 1,700 homes are now occupied in the Arden community and so the students are attending Binks Forest (Elementary) primarily, and they need their own school,” Burke said.
This is the first of three new schools coming to the western part of the county over the next five years.
“Following that (Western Acreage Area School) we’ll be building an elementary school in the Westlake area, and in a few years it will be time for a high school in this part of the community,” Burke said. “We have the resources and that’s really thanks to the taxpayers who’ve supported us with a penny sales tax and our referendums so that’s critically important and gives us the funds we need to make these projects happen.”
Sheree Smith lives in Arden and has two kids who currently attend Binks Forest Elementary. She’s excited about the new school coming to their neighborhood.
“We’ve been really impressed with Binks so far and now we’re really excited in a little over a year we’ll be able to experience new technology, new teachers, fresh location and it’s right in our backyard,” Smith said.
She made sure her kids were here to witness history in their community, as they shoveled the dirt during the groundbreaking.
“For them to be here and watch the groundbreaking for a school they get to attend, I think it’s just invaluable,” Smith said.
Liz Botts also lives in the Arden community. While her kids are too old to attend the new school, she’s excited to see it be a part of her growing community.
“It’s booming, I think a lot of people have found the western part of Palm Beach County is just the hot place to be,” Botts said. “Overall, I just think it’s going to be really great for the community and especially for the kids.”
She said she enjoys the lifestyle in this part of the county.
“I moved out west because I wanted to get away from all the traffic, so I do notice an increase in the traffic,” Botts said. “It’s not horrible yet but it is getting busier. It is what it is and its good to see new families, I think it’s a positive thing overall.”
The school will be three stories and fit about 970 kids. The design will mimic the modern farmhouse feel of the Arden community with features to match like a hydroponic garden and agricultural laboratory. The school will have the latest security and technology and be built on about 15 acres, which is larger than most elementary school sites.
While the construction gets going there are many more phases to come, like selecting the boundaries for the school, the principal, the school name, colors, a mascot and more. All of that will be developing in the next year and a half before the school opens in August 2025.
By: Stephanie Susskind
Title: New elementary school breaks ground in ‘booming’ western Palm Beach County
Sourced From: www.wptv.com/news/education/new-elementary-school-breaks-ground-in-booming-western-palm-beach-county
Published Date: Tue, 07 May 2024 22:45:32 GMT
Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.news4palmbeach.com/local-news/florida-atlantic-university-study-florida-rental-increases-are-slowing-according-to-march-data/
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