Health Officials Provide Update On U.S. National Whitewater Center Water Testing

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Health officials provided an update on the U.S. National Whitewater Center water testing on Thursday.

Crews are working to clean the water after preliminary tests found amoeba present.  An 18-year-old teen died from a brain-eating infection after visiting the park.

“They’re drying out the basin,” said park visitor Jana Colpus.

“They’re working hard, yeah, to improve the situation.”

Mecklenburg County Health Director Dr. Marcus Plescia said Monday that the draining, drying and cleaning process typically takes up to six weeks.

“We don’t really know the next steps about how they’ll clean the lower part and what they’ll do next,” said Dr. Plescia.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is helping the health department find water park consultants who can review existing systems to reduce risks.

The Whitewater Center says it gets treated water from the city which it says it filters and treats with ultraviolet radiation every day.

Out of eleven tests taken at the U.S. National Whitewater Center, all tests were positive for naegleria.

The Catawba River was also tested for the amoeba. Four out of five tests came back negative for naegleria. One was positive.

Despite test results, officials say the U.S. National Whitewater Center will be open this weekend with the exception of the whitewater channels.

Officials are not sure when the whitewater channels will reopen.