A look back, “Boil-water order lifted for Lake Osborne [Estates] after E. coli bacteria scare”.

See below for news in The Palm Beach Post by a beat reporter on November 18th, 2016. Note that Lake Osborne Estates is outside the City of Lake Worth in suburban (unincorporated) Lake Worth but starting this year is purchasing their water from the City of Lake Worth Water Utility.

For more requisite background on this story going back 3 years, do you remember former Post reporter Chris Persaud? From July 2014, use this link for Persaud’s article about, “Lake Osborne Estates water company sues Lake Worth”

By the way, Persaud was the beat reporter for Lake Worth until September 2014. He won the prestigious Society of Professional Journalism’s Sunshine State awards for exceptional election and public/charter school reporting County-wide and in Lake Worth as well.

Now back to the “E. coli bacteria scare” in
Lake Osborne Estates.

Here is a press release issued by the City of Lake Worth following reports of nasty, dirty, foul, smelly tap water in Lake Osborne Estates last year:

Dated Nov. 14th, 2016 from Timothy Sloan,
Lake Worth’s Water Plant Manager:

“The Lake Osborne drinking water system (aka US Water Services) purchases their drinking water from the City of Lake Worth. A water line repair was made last week by US Water Services in the Lake Osborne Subdivision (a consecutive water system of the City of Lake Worth). Following the repair, bacteriological samples were collected and the samples tested positive for the E. coli bacteria. US Water is collecting additional samples to determine the extent of the problem. Although [in 2016] the Lake Osborne water infrastructure system is not within Lake Worth jurisdiction, the City, in the utmost of caution, wishes to inform its end-users of this issue. US Water Services will be informing their customers via public outreach.” 

Use this link for the news report in the Post about that foul, nasty water in Lake Osborne Estates last November:

After testing positive last week for E. coli bacteria, the drinking water at Lake Osborne Estates near Lake Worth received the all clear Friday night [Nov. 18th, 2016].
     “We are pleased to report that the problem has been corrected and that it is no longer necessary to Boil Your Water,” US Water Services said in a release.

and. . .

     US Water Services has been flushing the water distribution system and working with the Palm Beach County Health Department. Brian Shields, Lake Worth’s water utility director, said the city had offered to help.
     The city [City of Lake Worth] on Monday [Nov. 14th] issued a drinking water notice, indicating that the notice only affected Lake Osborne residents.

and. . .

     Some residents, however, complained US Water Services didn’t alert residents soon enough, a charge Rendell [Troy Rendell, manager at US Water Services] disputes.
     “We didn’t find out until Sunday evening [Nov. 13th], and we notified the health department as soon as we found out,” he said. “They indicated we needed to post a notice to the media as soon as possible, which we did Monday [Nov. 14th] and we contacted the Lake Osborne Estates Civic Association on Monday for them to put the notice on their website.”
     On Wednesday afternoon [Nov. 16th], the company began placing boil-water notice door hangers on homes, Rendell said.

On the subject of water. . .

Starting this coming Sunday, October 1st, the City of Lake Worth will begin to “alter the chorination process” until October 18th. To learn more about this use this link or contact the Water Treatment Plant Manager, Timothy Sloan, at Lake Worth Water Utilities: 561-586-1710; email: TSloan@lakeworth.org