JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After tenants at an Arlington apartment complex expressed their frustrations about unsanitary living conditions, the News4JAX I-TEAM took water samples to an independent laboratory for analysis, and according to a local biology professor, the results are potentially unhealthy.
News4JAX took water samples from two tenants’ who live at the Red Bay Apartments off the Arlington Expressway.
According to UNF Professor of Biology Dale Cassamata, massive amounts of bacteria — typically found in the intestines — were found in the water.
“From that tiny amount of water, that I put on these Petri dishes, after 24 hours of incubation, I noticed vast, vast, amounts of bacteria,” Cassamata said.
Even Cassamata was surprised at just how much bacteria grew from half a drop of water News4JAX sampled from Andrew Hurst’s dishwasher.
Hurst, a disabled veteran, contacted News4JAX about numerous complaints regarding the living conditions at the Red Bay Apartment complex. He said he feels the conditions are unsanitary and he and his partner have been feeling sick.
“We’ve been feeling nauseous, we’ve had all kinds of nasty headaches, eyes all watery,” Hurst said.
Professor Cassamata said the bacteria in those samples are “absolutely flourishing.”
“That’s why it smells so bad,” Cassamata said.
According to Cassamata, enteric bacteria are bacteria associated with the colon and lower GI system. He said these bacteria help break down material and regenerate water.
“Those same bacteria if you ingest them and they try to get back into our body in those same positions, they can be very problematic. E. coli in your colon is not a big deal, but E. coli in your stomach or other places could be very problematic,” Cassamata said.
Cassamata said enteric bacteria could be fecal matter.
“Because enteric bacteria are things that make up feces,” Cassamata said.
Cassamata did a separate analysis of the water that flooded tenant Nina Grothe’s apartment, more than a dozen times over the past year.
“I have mold and mildew, there’s a major leak, and when I say leak I mean a big leak,” Grothe said.
Grothe showed us her shoes that got wet and we noticed the bacteria growing on top.
She said the water has irritated her children’s skin, and Cassamata confirmed the water could cause skin irritations.
Both tenants said they were disgusted by the laboratory results.
“I was rattled, that’s disturbing, we’ve been washing our dishes, and everything comes out smelling weird, so we have to go and handwash everything because it comes out smelling disgusting, now we know why,” Hurst said.
Grothe said finding out the truth behind this water “breaks her spirit down.”
“Because I’ve been sick. Also, my eyes, are no longer the same. I’m having a hard time breathing and a constant allergy,” Grothe said.
News4JAX contacted the City of Jacksonville Division of Consumer Services Department, as well as an assistant to Mayor Donna Deegan to perhaps see if city officials can conduct tests of the water.
News4JAX also submitted water samples from both the tap water and the shower water of Andrew Hurst’s apartment, and we hope to have those results from the laboratory next week.
The CEO of the Red Bay Apartments’ property management company personally called Hurst, offered him accommodations for the weekend, and promised to remedy the problem. SAAR Management has also agreed to move Grothe to another unit after the recent flooding events in her apartment.
The City of Jacksonville Code Enforcement is planning on inspecting the property on Monday.