After a brain-eating amoeba was found in St. John the Baptist Parish’s water supply, St. Charles Parish says there is no reason to believe the local water system is at risk for the deadly organism.
St. John is the third water system in Louisiana to test positive for the amoeba. Last year, the amoeba was found in both St. Bernard and DeSoto parishes. The Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) said St. John was not in compliance with the state’s emergency rule, which requires water systems to maintain a minimum disinfectant level of 0.5 milligrams per liter of chlorine throughout all distribution lines.
That level of disinfectant is known to kill the Naegleria fowleri amoeba.
St. Charles Parish is currently in compliance with all federal drinking water regulations, including the emergency rule that calls for 0.5 milligrams per liter of chlorine to kill the amoeba.
“St. Charles Parish has had a longstanding flushing program that allows the system to maintain adequate chlorine residuals,” the parish said in a release. “Since the amoeba was first detected in St. Bernard Parish in September 2013, Waterworks treatment operations personnel have increased chlorine sampling of the parish’s water system to ensure its continued safety.”
The amoeba first gained attention last year when a 4-year-old died in St. Bernard Parish after being infected with the brain-eating amoeba. In DeSoto Parish, two deaths were blamed on the amoeba.
DHH has not yet vetted St. Charles Parish’s water system, but the parish expects to be tested by the end of the year.St. John Parish initiated a chlorine burn last week in order to flush water lines after the amoeba was discovered.
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