In Florida, a drinking water warning has been issued for the vicinity that includes the Mar-a-Lago Club of former President Donald Trump.
The Town of Palm Beach raised an alert online on Thursday, notifying residents, including Trump and others at Mar-a-Lago, of cloudiness issues, or “turbidity” in the water supply.
Although stating that “turbidity does not cause health effects,” residents were cautioned that infants, pregnant individuals, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems should avoid the water.
The cloudiness in the water is believed to be a result of a water treatment problem in the City of West Palm Beach, the primary supplier of public drinking water to Palm Beach.
It is unclear whether the water supply at Mar-a-Lago, where Trump has officially resided since 2019, is affected by turbidity.
As per the City of West Palm Beach, this issue is not classified as an emergency and was discovered during routine sample testing this month.
“Water samples taken in July showed that more than 5 percent of turbidity measurements as of July 8, 2024, exceeded 0.3 turbidity units – the standard specifies that no more than 5 percent of samples should exceed 0.3 turbidity units per month,” the city’s website states.
Vulnerable populations were advised to steer clear of the water due to the potential interference of turbidity with disinfection and its ability to foster microbial growth, indicating the likely presence of disease-causing pathogens.
“These pathogens include bacteria, viruses, and parasites which can result in symptoms like nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches,” according to the city.
Despite the risk of contamination, the city assured that the disinfection systems for water treatment are fully operational to eliminate any potential pathogens.
Palm Beach Town Council member Lew Crampton informed The Palm Beach Daily News on Friday that efforts were being made to persuade the City of West Palm Beach to adopt water treatment technology that could eradicate the issue or possibly establish an arrangement for Lake Worth Beach to supply water to Palm Beach.
“The council is firm on implementing technology, hopefully avoiding the recurrence of such turbidity issues, employing RO [reverse osmosis] technology,” Crampton stated. “We must be mindful of how the facility operates.”
“Despite the notice, the situation is being addressed. I am optimistic that we can reach an agreement with either West Palm Beach or Lake Worth Beach in the coming months.”
A contract is currently in place for Palm Beach to continue receiving water from West Palm Beach until 2029.