E. Coli In Long Beach Water Doesn't Cause Human Disease: Official

LONG BEACH, NY — Bacteria found in the Long Beach water supply last month do not cause human disease and are unrelated to a reported infection in the community, the state Health Department plans to announce Wednesday at a public forum on water quality.

On June 23, two days after Nassau County health officials told the city that its water supply had tested positive for E. coli, a resident told Acting City Manager Robert Agostisi that her child, who had a compromised immune system, also tested positive for the bacteria. Agostisi reviewed medical records and said the documents conclusively established the child had contracted E. coli.

But the county health department told Agostisi that it had received no reports of E. coli infections stemming from Long Beach. And on Tuesday, the state deputy commissioner of public health, Brad Hutton, told Patch that the E. coli strain found in the community was food-borne, not water-borne.

"The investigation of the patient in the community with E. coli has been definitively determined to not be associated with the water system," said Hutton.

The state could not culture samples needed to perform more definitive tests on the drinking water. Asked how the bacteria found its way into the water in the first place, Hutton said there's a common misconception that water is sterile. Bacteria and viruses are always present in both humans and water systems, though not the levels or type that cause people to fall ill.

A public forum is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, when city county and state officials will talk to residents about the state of the city's drinking water. The forum will be held on the 6th floor of City Hall and is scheduled to end at 8 p.m. Residents will be able to listen to information presented by the experts and ask them questions.

See related:

• UPDATE: Private Meeting On LB Water Infrastructure Postponed
• 'My Eyes Are Burning': Chlorine Plagues Long Beach Neighbors
• Long Beach Water Safe, Chlorine Not Excessive, City Says

John Mirando, head of the city's public works department, Democratic state Sen. Todd Kaminsky and Legislator Denise Ford all said they plan to attend. Assemblywoman Missy Miller and Nassau County Executive Laura Curran are also expected to attend, as are state and county health officials.

Mirando told Patch on Tuesday he hopes to ease public concern about the water supply. He stressed the water is safe, noting the incident was "very minor" and that the city responded appropriately. Ford said she is interested to hear what neighbors have to say and hopes to develop a consensus on how to upgrade the water system.

The state Health Department plans to talk about the system of protections in place, which Hutton said worked "very well" in this case at protecting residents from any water-born diseases in their public drinking water.

Neighbors have posted photos in a Facebook group dedicated to the topic that appear to show brown or discolored tap water. Some have also posted photos of at-home pool test kits that appear to show extremely high chlorine levels in the water. The city flushed the water system with chlorine to kill off any remaining bacteria following the E. coli detection.

Mirando reiterated that residual chlorine levels in the Long Beach water were increased to 2 parts per million, up from the usual 1 part per million but still far below the federal limit of 4 parts per million. On Monday, that level was reduced to 1.5 parts per million and it will be lowered again within two weeks should further tests come back clean.