Facts About the Lake Jackson Amoeba Incident and N. Fowleri By Charles Perkins, Energy Efficiency Circuit Rider, Texas Rural Water Association
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n September, a 6-year-old boy who lived in Lake Jackson, Texas became infected with Naegleria fowleri (N. fowleri), described by the media as a “brain eating amoeba.” Unfortunately, the youngster ultimately succumbed to the effects of infection, and he died on September 8. His death prompted city officials to investigate potential sources of contamination in the city’s water system. In actuality, N. fowleri infections are very rare. In the decade from 2010 to 2019, only 34 infections were reported in the United States. The N. fowleri amoeba cannot infect a person through ingestion of water. The amoeba enters the body through the nose and can travel to the brain where it destroys tissue. Unlike other pathogens, this one can only cause infection when entering the body in this manner and drinking contaminated water will not cause infection as the human digestive system is sufficiently hostile to kill it. The water source for the city of Lake Jackson is blended, making source-tracing difficult. The city utilizes both groundwater produced from its wells located in the Gulf Coast/Chicot Aquifer, and surface water purchased from the Brazos River Authority which has the Harris Aquifer as its source. The discovery of the N. fowleri initially lead to Lake Jackson officials issuing a “Do-Not-Use” notice on September 25. This notice was rescinded on September 26 and replaced with a Boil Water notice.
Quench — 2020 - Issue 5
which is treated to the same level as swimming pool water. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued findings that determined the water storage tank for the “Splash Pad” created the environment which allowed the amoeba (N. fowleri) to grow. City officials working with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) investigators and other governmental agencies determined that the storage tank in question had a low disinfectant residual and that the timer system used to operate the spray nozzle system reduced the flow of water through the tank and helped to create the conditions under which algae and other microbes such as the N. fowleri amoeba were able to grow.
"While the N. fowleri amoeba is very susceptible to destruction by chlorination, it can survive for prolonged periods when encased within the protective biofilm that can form inside water distribution pipes."
Investigations determined that the source of the N. fowleri was limited to a “Splash Pad” located at the City of Lake Jackson’s Civic Center. A “Splash Pad” is a recreation area in a public park that has little or no standing water and which utilizes ground nozzles to spray water into the air. Typically, the water used in these systems is either “fresh” potable water or “recycled” water 10
Investigations determined that the source of the N. fowleri was a "Splash Pad located at the City of Lake Jackson's Civic Center.
This incident at the City of Lake Jackson would be the first case of an infection of the N. fowleri amoeba in Texas associated with a public water
