A Reminder of Why River Country Was Probably Closed

[bama_ed]

Although WDW has never publicly confirmed why River Country was closed, the fresh water amoeba danger has been posed as a reason and sadly it has claimed another young life.

http://news.yahoo.com/amoeba-blamed-swimming-death-florida-222005527.html

For those of us who would love River Country to return it would have to be sealed off from Bay Lake and the cost of that means chances are nill. This isn't directly Fort-related but I guess indirectly it is.

Bama ED

 

[Brocktoon]

A few days ago I watched a TV report (I think CNN) on the amoeba attacks this year. Although the death rate was pretty consistent with previous years, any deaths due to the amoeba per year are horrible.

Any time this hits the news, I also think of the Fort and Bay Lake. I love taking the SeaRaycers out for an hour on Bay Lake, but I also understand why Disney wouldn't want folksto swim for extended periods near the shore where sediment and debris would continue to churn

 

[John VN]

Three reported to have died so far with one man using tap water for a sinus flush. Very sad.

Come May next year, even though the water will be cooler in Bay Lake, I will be using nose plugs for the swim in the Triathlon event.

 

[Asellus]

Three reported to have died so far with one man using tap water for a sinus flush. Very sad.

Come May next year, even though the water will be cooler in Bay Lake, I will be using nose plugs for the swim in the Triathlon event.

Even in the tap water!!?? thats scary! (Knowing about it you can protect your kids from swimming in bodies of water....but you can't not let them take a bath or flush out your sinuses!)

 

[Uncleromulus]

And to think of the many times we went to River Country!!
Or took a dip in the Seven Seas Lagoon right at the beach at the Poly..

 

[luckycharm19335]

Sooo Scary! and very sad!

 

[retired and happy]

Although I saw the report, I still question the tap water report. there must be more to this story and how the amoeba could have gotten into that water system. Could it have been well water or a contaminated or malfunctioning filtration system? I would like to know more about this.

 

[rock_doctor]

Although I saw the report, I still question the tap water report. there must be more to this story and how the amoeba could have gotten into that water system. Could it have been well water or a contaminated or malfunctioning filtration system? I would like to know more about this.

In Florida some of the ground water either has a high sulfur or iron content. So the common way to reduce those two items is to spray the water at the top of a cylinder tank with a shower head and let it rain down to the bottom of the tank where it pools and waits to be pumped into the house for use. The action of falling though the air reduced the sulfur smell or allows the iron to rust and separate out. Unfortunately since it is falling though air in the tank which is also open to the surrounding environment the air can contain bacteria or bugs or so on... At the bottom of the tank the waiting water is untreated and gives the bacteria a chance to grow, this is the main reason using cisterns are illegal in most parts of the US. We had a cistern at our house when we stayed in Hawai'i on vacation (no ground water since the house was on the side of Kilauea Volcano) and the water always smelled moldy no matter what you did... Of course in that case the rain water that hit the roof is what ended up in the cistern so it wasn't well water...