According to data compiled by the Travis County Health Department, the cases of cryptosporidiosis reported from medical offices in Pflugerville were two of 52 reported county-wide in 2019.
Dale Jennings, a Pflugerville resident, spoke before Pflugerville City Council at a Dec. 10 meeting. Jennings said he and his wife had tested positive for cryptosporidium.
“I have parasites. My wife has parasites," Jennings said. "And I can assure you, my wife and I are not the only ones who have parasites.”
Water treatment failure
In November, the city of Pflugerville issued a news release revealing that it had failed to adequately treat its water supply for a 10-month period, running from October 2018 through September 2019, with the exception of December 2018 and April 2019. The city's Nov. 5 news release stated that no cases of cryptosporidiosis had been reported at that time.
Ben and Karie Seifert, two Pflugerville residents, emailed Community Impact Newspaper Dec. 7, saying Karie Seifert had visited an emergency room in October with stomach cramps, nausea and fever symptoms, prior to the city's news release. Karie Seifert had tested positive for cryptosporidium.
Additional error discovered
The city received a notice of violation from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, or TCEQ, on Jan. 10 following a computer programming error at the city's surface water treatment plant. During a membrane integrity test conducted on Dec. 24, the plant's notification system incorrectly concluded a filtration membrane's integrity was at an appropriate level and had passed the system's test, per the news release. The membrane continued producing water for two-and-a-half hours or less, per the release, before the city's water operator discovered the error, shut down the membrane and kept it offline until it passed a manual test.
Public notice
In a Jan. 13 news release, city officials said a public notice is being sent to all City of Pflugerville, Manville Water Supply Corporation and Windermere Utility water customers. Communications Director Terri Toledo said in a call with Community Impact Newspaper that, due to the influx of notice letters being sent, the letters are anticipated to mail out Jan. 21 and arrive at resident mailboxes by Jan. 25.
An agenda item on TCEQ's Jan. 10 notice of violation is scheduled for city council's Jan. 14 work session, beginning at 5 p.m. A copy of the notice can be viewed here.
