Update: The boil-water notice was rescinded on June 17.
Residents of Plantation Bay, the large subdivision straddling Flagler and Volusia counties, received a boil-water notice again today after fecal matter was detected in the subdivision’s drinking water. A letter sent residents said the detection of E. Coli was in one of the wells supplying the system, based on a test conducted late last week.
“As our customers, you have a right to know what happened and what we are doing to correct the situation,” a letter to customers under Flagler County government’s letterhead read. The Plantation Bay utility is currently run by U.S. Water, whom the county hired last year in an effort to address chronic and costly problems with the aging utility’s infrastructure–and management: the county itself had done a poor job of it, according to its own officials.
“On June 15, 2020, we learned that a resample from Well #1 (collected June 12, 2020) for the month of June was E. coli positive. Additional system wells along with distribution samples collected during the month of June were absent of any bacteria. As required by EPA’s Ground Water Rule, one of our follow-up steps is to collect additional samples from this well within 24 hours to determine the extent of the problem. This sampling will occur on June 16.”
The letter strongly urges residents not to drink water from the tap or use water to prepare food or wash dishes without boiling it first, or, alternately, to use bottled water–until further notice. The letter warns of potentially severe consequences for those who drink untreated water and have immune deficiencies, are infants or are elderly.
Well #1 has been shut down. Residents are told to US Water Services at 866-753-8292, extension 207.
Residents were displeased. “No one answers the phone at US Water and the plant superintendent has a full voicemail box,” Holly Reynolds, a resident of Plantation Bay, wrote. “I am furious with these five old men who promised us a working water system and then threw us under the bus!”
On the other hand this evening at a county commission meeting, Commissioner Greg Hansen shared what he described as an “anecdotal comment.” He said every time he meets someone from Plantation Bay, he asks about the water quality. “To a person,” he said, “and I’m up to about 10 now, they say the water is fine, thank you very much.” The surveying appears to have predated today’s boil-water notice.
County government–which, under orders from County Administrator Jerry Cameron, has been refusing to send FlaglerLive its public notices and releases, without explanation–issued one such release repeating some of the letter’s contents, and attributing the fecal matter to “heavy rain” in Cameron’s words. (The release was obtained through a public record request.) Cameron, who is not a scientist, was guessing.
“Waste can enter the water through different ways, including sewage overflows, sewage systems that are not working properly, polluted storm water runoff, and agricultural runoff,” the Centers for Disease Control states in an explanation of E. coli entering the water stream. “Wells may be more vulnerable to such contamination after flooding, particularly if the wells are shallow, have been dug or bored, or have been submerged by floodwater for long periods of time.”
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Flying bird says
I live in plantation this is bullshit . It has been approx 4 years since county bought this system and nothing has improved … and our water bills have doubled . Great job county another one of you debacles , at our expense (health ) . Corona virus isnt enough ?
Helen Siegel says
Just a long shot here, but has anyone considered that the disinfection methods are inadequate?
Lee says
thank you for letting us know. if i hadnt gone on your website would no know and would still be usin the water without boiling. PEOPLE HAVE HEALTH issues. letters in mailboxes and phone calls should hav ebeen made immediately today!!!!
LetThemEatCake says
Wow. Not only is a letter very 1990s but let’s forget just E-Coli, COVID is very present in the stools of infected people even after their nasal tests come back negative and “clear” them of active respiratory infection. Will boiling water kill those particles?
Helen says
It is a disgrace that the water is only tested once a month and the disintegrating waste treatment nearby has not been completed. Apparently only cares about his paycheck and not the citizens
Linda Hodgson says
Why would we not get a phone call from Code Red or any other notification system. A note was left on our front door that wasn’t seen until massive amounts of water were already drank 😡
C’mon man says
Could you imagine drinking a glass of someone’s shit. Jane gentile has been on the commissioner’s for years trying to fix this. Maybe they should listen to her.
AgainConstantlyAmazed says
“Holly Reynolds, a resident of Holly Reynolds, wrote. “I am furious with these five old men who promised us a working water system and then threw us under the bus!”1. Where is Holly Reynolds located ?”
1. I have lived here for 15 years what part of the county is “HOLLY REYNOLDS” ?
2. What did she mean by “OLD MEN” ? Is being “ELDERY” and a “MAN” now a euphemism for OPPRESSION ?
joni says
I guess Greg Hansen has only talked to 10 residents because Everybody in Plantation Bay knows the water is horrible.
John Stove says
I certainly hope they are proactive in back tracing where the contamination came from. Most likely from an overflow situation from a lift station wet well, or damaged sewer line that was surcharged from the recent rain events.
Either way, they need to immediately shock treat the well with a chlorine source (typically bleach) in order to kill off any active contaminant and re-test numerous times to monitor the water before actively using the well as a source for water production.
Finding and correcting the source of the contamination is the only way of preventing this in the future. Now that they have been made aware of a contamination issue at this well, the liability of any illness is on the water producer and they cannot claim that they were not “aware” and can be held liable.
Fix it
Sherry Liner says
Supposedly notices were sent to Plantation Bay residents yesterday. Just had one put on our door, after 10:00a.m., Tuesday. Please notify by phone or text to all residents.
Sean peckham says
Let’s look at who is running the show In facilities, water department.
Heidi Petitio, Mike Dixon ! They have known about the problems At plantation bay for yrs ! But like they say in county the squeaking wheel gets the grease . Let’s look back about 5 yrs the same problem at beach side And plantation bay . Fecal matter in the water ! Same people running the show . Maby we will look at who is not doing there job when someone dies
Does anyone check there dep records ?
Again just saying
Very concerned citizen says
Not unlike what the Palm Coast City Council just did, the county should increase new build fees to the builders in Plantation Bay to cover the cost of a new water plant.
Stay hydrated says
Before you panic it’s possibly a false positive. This could be from a lab testing error or something as simple as the technician sampling the well contaminating the sample with bacteria from their own hands. A second test from the distribution end of the Water system would have clarified Whether disinfection was adequate.
What is concerning is the lack of knowledge from the County administrator and the delay in notification. Coliform and a secondary E. coli test takes 24 hours, not 72.
It would seem the county needs to get out of the utility business. Contracting out the management and operations is short of a real solution.
A Concerned Citizen says
I wish it were….the water is full of chlorine which obviously isn’t getting the job done. You can sure smell it and taste it. Here is a test anyone in Plantation Bay can do. Test the water in your pool and then test your tap water. The chlorine results are the same. At least my pool doesn’t have fecal matter!
Jane Gentile-Youd says
We the payers and users and guinea pigs should be filing a class action suit against FDEP for ALLOWING the violations contained Consent Order of April 2013 to be transferred to us instead of cured by the owner of the utility ( Mori Hosseini et al D/B/A/ Plantation Bay Utility)PRIOR to the sale as per their own rule 19.
The county attorney personally should be included in the lawsuit for not advising the commission that the entire utility was determined to be worth no more than $1million not the $5.5 million and for not insisting the violations in the Consent Order be cured before transfer. He should be held personally accountable, in my opinion, for forming an Enterprise Fund to pay for the purchase, loans, maintenance and screw ups without ever holding a VOTE or sending a notice and holding a public hearing instead of illegally creating a fund using our money without our knowledge or consent.
I allege that had the required public hearing be held ( instead of the semi-secret untelevised meeting in the emergency building) we would have had the ability to say ‘ no way Jose’ had we known the true value, had we known that we should not have been dumped with the still outstanding violations in the Consent Order and we would have had the opportunity to find a buyer such as FGUA as well as refusing to allowed this Enterprise Fund for being created. I did not go to law school; I did file lawsuits pro se and won because anyone can read law books and case law and I truly believe we have a cause of action against FDEP, Al Hadeed and the County at large for the entire mess .
We should fill the commissioner chambers, and I mean not 20 people but hundreds of us to demand the county pick up the tab, as well as FDEP and Mori Hosseini personally and get the noose off from our personal abused and overcharged necks, we would not have to resort in legal action in my opinion.
We should give it one last try and if the county does not agree with our rightful demands by us ,en masse, I would suggest we strongly consider a class action filed by both Plantation Bay and Westlake homeowners , asking for all fees, court cost and punitive damages for the continuing risk to our health, safety and welfare.
Having tried for 7 years I am ashamed to say I have gotten nowhere – why? because 1 person means nothing – what’s one vote? It has been about 2 years since a big group of us made demands but we never kept coming back again and again.
Let’s give it one last try – the commission chambers are just 6 miles away – we have no excuse but ourselves for continuing to put up with this abuse in my opinion,
Jerry Cameron is trying his best and has said many times that Flagler County should not have ever been in the water business so please let’s not blame him. He has gotten out loan debt reduced by almost over $850,000 and is working with FDEP and the legislature to try to get us more justice. Without him we would be in worse shape than now, I believe, if that is even possible.
Concerned American says
Very well written Jane You’d. Commissioner Joe Mullins is Plantation Bays Representative. At one BOCC meeting there was a request from the building department to allow ICI to open up another subdivision in the Westlake area. It was brought before the BOCO that allowing that subdivision would put more stress on the utility. Joe Mullins was the deciding vote for the additional homes to be built. We need Commissioners that are going to LISTEN to We The People .
YAPOS says
No wonder my neighbors breath smells like shit……use bottled water when brushing your teeth please.
Craig Coffey and Al Hadeed need to be held accountable for this…..come on Mullins you said you were going to hold people accountable….we are still waiting.