Lake Jackson lifts boil water notice following brain-eating amoeba scare

The city of Lake Jackson on Tuesday lifted its boil water notice, which had been in effect since officials found traces of a brain-eating amoeba in the water supply, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

The notice was lifted after TCEQ found “disinfectant residuals were above the state’s required disinfection standards throughout the entire system,” according to a news release. Microbiological samples confirmed the city’s drinking water was negative for harmful bacteria.

“The city’s tap water is safe to drink,” TCEQ said. “Residents will no longer need to boil the city’s water prior to using it for drinking and cooking, but are urged to continue to avoid getting water far up into their noses to reduce the risk of Naegleria fowleri infection.”

The microscopic amoeba, known as naegleria fowleri, was identified by state and federal health officials weeks after a 6-year-old boy became mysteriously ill in Lake Jackson and died Sept. 8. The boy’s grandparents speculated he inhaled water from a city water supply at a splash-pad they visited shortly before he became ill.

Lake Jackson officials last week began purging the contaminated water from its system, then flushing it with highly chlorinated water, according to earlier reports in the Chronicle.

Nick Powell contributed to this report. 

julian.gill@chron.com