Test Results at Arlington’s California Lane Park Splash Pad Negative for Naegleria Fowleri Amoeba
The Environmental Protection Agency notified the City of Arlington Thursday that a water sample collected from the California Lane Park splash pad has tested negative for the presence of Naegleria fowleri amoeba.
With that update, the City of Arlington announces today that it will reopen its pools and three of its four splash pads starting this Saturday, Sept. 2.
Additional Disinfection Planned for California Lane Park Splash Pad
On Friday, the City of Arlington consulted with the EPA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Texas Department of State Health Services, Tarrant County Public Health, and the City of Arlington’s Public Health Authority to map out the next steps for the California Lane Park splash pad. Out of an abundance of caution, the City will keep the splash pad at 1931 E. California Lane closed for an additional round of hyper-chlorination and for a follow-up test to ensure no organic matter, harmful or not, is present in the aquatic facility’s ultra-chlorinated and UV-treated water supply.
The City, which is no longer asking that people who visited the California Lane Park splash pad last month to self-monitor for signs of illness, will share the test results with the public once they are available in the coming weeks.
Why Arlington Temporarily Closed Its Pools and Splash Pads
Arlington is one of a handful of cities voluntarily participating in the EPA regional study this summer that is designed to help advance best practices and standards for splash pad management. Water samples from the California Lane Park splash pad were collected once in July and once in August.
On Aug. 29, the EPA sent the City a “critical notification” that a laboratory had observed active trophozoites in the Aug. 17 water sample. These trophozoites are part of the life cycle of some organisms, one of which could develop into Naegleria fowleri. Though extremely rare, Naegleria fowleri amoeba cause a fatal infection in humans.
Because the type of trophozoites in the sample were unidentified, the EPA said the findings should be considered “presumptive positive result for Naegleria fowleri” pending further testing. The EPA recommended the City close the California Lane Park splash pad until results were available.
Although the sample in question was from only one splash pad, Arlington made the decision to close all aquatics facilities out of an abundance of caution while awaiting those test results.
“We recognize that our decision to temporarily close all pools and splash pads this week may have caused concern for some residents, but public health and safety is our top priority. We implemented the industry leading Bakari Williams Protocol and made significant technology investments in our aquatics facilities since 2021 to ensure our residents are safe,” Parks and Recreation Director James Orloski said. “Based on the initial information we were provided by the EPA about a potential water quality concern at one of our splash pads, we made a decision we felt was best for our community while we waited for confirmation that our protocols and practices were working as they should.”
The City’s inspection records confirm that water chlorination levels at the California Lane Park splash pad and all other splash pads exceeded established ranges throughout the summer, as measured by the automated water chemistry controllers.
Pool and Splash Pad Schedule
• The Don Misenhimer Park and the Brantley Hinshaw Park splash pads will operate from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays through the end of September as scheduled.
• The Beacon Recreation Center’s splash pad will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday through the end of September.
• The indoor pool at the East Library and Recreation Center, which is open year-round except for holidays, will be for daily use. The East is closed for Labor Day.
• The Bad Konigshofen Family Aquatic Center and Randol Mill Family Aquatic Center will be open from noon to 5 pm. this Saturday, Sunday and Monday, which is Labor Day, as scheduled. These pools close for the season after Labor Day.
• The City’s other pools, Allen Bolden, Howard Moore and Woodland West, were already closed for the season.
Editor's Note: The article below was published on Aug. 30, 2023.
City of Arlington Closes All Public Splash Pads and Pools Until Further Notice Pending Test Results for Naegleria Fowleri Amoeba at California Lane Park Splash Pad; No Known Infections
Out of an abundance of caution, the City of Arlington has closed all of its public splash pads and pools until further notice after a water sample collected from the California Lane Park splash pad as part of a voluntary federal study detected the possible presence of the Naegleria fowleri amoeba.
The City of Arlington is one of a handful of cities that have partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a study about splash pad safety. Once in July and once in August, the City collected water samples from the California Lane Park splash pad and sent them to an EPA laboratory for testing as part of the study.
On Tuesday, Aug. 29, the EPA notified Arlington that a sample collected Aug. 17 from that splash pad at 1931 E. California Lane was presumed positive for the presence of Naegleria fowleri amoeba based on laboratory observations. The EPA is currently conducting testing, called a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test, to confirm those preliminary observations. The lab is in Gainesville, Florida, and the timing of PCR confirmation may be impacted by Hurricane Idalia, currently affecting the region.
“The City of Arlington is committed to the highest standards of safety and transparency and will keep the community updated regarding the pending test results,” Parks and Recreation Director James Orloski. “Our industry-leading protocols and the advanced technology we have in place give us confidence in the chemical monitoring and treatment at our aquatics facilities.”
Arlington has not been notified of any illnesses or hospitalizations linked to any of its aquatic facilities.
Naegleria fowleri amoeba, which can result in a rare and fatal infection in humans, was connected to the 2021 death of Bakari Williams, who became ill after visiting Arlington’s Don Misenhimer splash pad. In 2022, Arlington developed the Bakari Williams Protocol, which puts additional checks and balances in place for aquatics facility maintenance, and also made recommended upgrades to the aquatics facilities’ chemical testing, controllers, and secondary sanitation systems to ensure facilities are safe for public use.
After the EPA’s notification on Tuesday, Arlington reviewed its inspection records and confirmed that water chlorination levels at the California Lane Park splash pad were continuously within established ranges throughout the summer, as measured by the automated water chemistry controllers. Chlorination levels at the splash pad have averaged 3.5 parts per million, which is more than three times the CDC recommended levels, during operating hours. Additionally, City staff manually tested water quality every 3 to 4 hours while the splash pad was in operation, with the average being four times a day. Click here to view pool and splash pad chemical logs for summer 2023, the Bakari Williams Protocol and the City’s standard operating procedures for pool chemical monitoring.
The risk of Naegleria fowleri infection is extremely low, with only 29 reported infections in the United States between 2013 and 2022, according to the CDC. Naegleria fowleri infects people when water containing the amoeba enters the body through the nose. This typically occurs when people go swimming or diving in warm freshwater places, such as lakes and rivers. In very rare instances, the amoeba has been identified in other sources, such as inadequately chlorinated swimming pool water or heated and contaminated tap water.
The first symptoms usually start about five days after infection, but they can start within one to two days. Symptoms may include headache, fever, nausea or vomiting. Later symptoms can include stiff neck, confusion, lack of attention to people and surroundings, seizures, hallucinations and coma. People who have recently visited the California Lane Park splash pad should seek medical care immediately if they develop a sudden onset of fever, headache, vomiting, or stiff neck. For more information about Naegleria fowleri, please visit Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, https://www.cdc.gov/.
Arlington’s public splash pads have been closed since Tuesday, Aug. 29. All outdoor public pools have been closed since Sunday, Aug. 27 and the East indoor pool was closed Wednesday, Aug. 30. All will remain closed until further notice.
The City of Arlington’s drinking water supply is not affected, and the water quality continues to meet all regulatory safety guidelines set by state and federal authorities.
More About the City of Arlington’s Bakari Williams Protocol
In 2022, Arlington developed new and industry-leading protocols for aquatics facility maintenance and completed nearly $650,000 in improvements to pools and its four splash pads. Improvements included recommended mechanical upgrades to chemical testing, controllers, and secondary sanitation systems at Arlington aquatics facilities. These rigorous protocols exceed federal, state, and industry minimum standards and include:
- Automated water chemistry controllers with advanced sensors and features designed to produce safe and clean water and automatically shut off any splash pads where water readings are not in the acceptable ranges.
- Manual water quality testing by staff three times daily, exceeding the state requirement of one test per day.
- Chlorine minimum levels between 2.5 ppm and five ppm for all splash pads, exceeding the state minimum requirement of 1 ppm.
- Additional staff trained as Certified Pool Operators.
- Addition of QR codes on signs at all aquatics facilities, allowing visitors to access up-to-date water quality information via smartphone devices.
Other improvements:
- A departmental reorganization placed aquatic technicians under the operations division, creating a team of other skilled trades groups to work together to ensure the highest quality of work.
- New digital water quality testing capabilities that reduce human error by eliminating visual inaccuracies in the testing process.
- Upgrades to the secondary sanitation process, including a state-of-the-art ultraviolet (UV) system at splash pads.
- Software that replaces the City's handwritten record process by remotely providing real-time water quality data and inspection records to aquatics employees through an app.
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