Infectious Disease specialist warns residents after fecal matter found in Riviera Beach water
By Jossie Carbonare
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RIVIERA BEACH, Florida (WPBF) — Residents in Riviera Beach were just notified about a contamination issue in January when Riviera Beach officials knew about it back in June.
Mayor Ronnie Fielder confirmed E. Coli and fecal matter were found in the drinking water.
At the time, when it was found in June 2023, reports released to the public only stated that fecal matter was contained to one well and was removed before it ever got to the public.
The mayor, however, now says it actually leaked into two wells and did, in fact, make it into the water distribution system.
Dr. Leslie Diaz, who is the infectious disease director of FoundCare, said there’s a chance some people may still be experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms as a result.
“It’s a huge possibility of disruption of that biome that could occur as a result of contaminated bacteria,” Diaz said.
People experiencing the following should see a doctor:
Diarrhea Blood in stool Bloating Gas Intermittent pains after eating
“This is a sign that something may be going on,” Diaz said. “If they were OK and then all of the sudden they’re not from a GI perspective, I think that needs attention.”
While the health department confirms the water is now clean, Mayor Fielder said he is trying to narrow down where exactly things went wrong.
“I plan to determine why this occurrence was not reported to the health department in a timely manner, why residents were not notified in a timely manner and why a boil-water notice was not sent out,” Fielder said.
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