After warning of sewage contamination in the Rio Vista and Beverly Heights neighborhoods, city officials discouraged water-related activities such as swimming, fishing, jet-skiing, paddle-boarding, kayaking and canoeing on Friday in areas of Fort Lauderdale.
Officials are asking the public to avoid contact with water in the area of Southeast Ninth Street to the north, Southeast 11th Court to the south, Cordova Road and Tarpon River to the east and Southeast 10th Avenue and Federal Highway to the west.
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The other area at risk for contamination is Broward Boulevard to the north, Poinciana Drive to the east, Southeast 15th Street to the south, and Southwest 18th Avenue to the west.
According to Chaz Adams, the city spokesman, city crews are repairing a 54-inch sewer line along the north side of Virginia Young Park in Rio Vista and a 48-inch sewer line in the Himmarshee Canal in Beverly Heights.
Cliff Berry, Inc., a Fort Lauderdale-based environmental service, is working at Virginia Park and Hector Park, which remain closed to the public, according to Adams.
Florida Department of Health officials reported water samples in the area of Birch State Park showed bacteria linked to swimming-related gastroenteritis, an intestinal infection marked by diarrhea, fever and nausea.
For more information about the warning, call the city’s 24-hour Neighbor Call Center at 954-828-8000.
Proper hygiene tips
- Keep your children and pets away from standing water
- Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
- Wash your hands with soap and warm water.
- Keep fingernails short and clean and keep fingers away from the nose, mouth, eyes, and ears
- Keep a container or spray with a mix of 90% water and 10% household bleach to clean shoes to avoid contamination in the home