The U.S. National Whitewater Center has admitted a flaw in their water filtration system following the June death of a teenager after she went whitewater rafting at the facility.
18-year-old Lauren Seitz was rafting at the center in North Carolina June 8 when her raft flipped. She died June 19 from primary amebic meningoencephalitis, a fatal disease caused by the amoeba Naegleria fowleri. U.S. National Whitewater Center spokesperson Eric Osterhus told the Charlotte Observer that algae that accumulated in the water was responsible for conditions that allowed organic matter to breed and compromised the facility’s disinfectant systems.
The amoeba can grow rapidly in warm freshwater and enters the brain through the nose, but infections are rare. A spokesperson from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed with Rapid July 6 that eleven samples taken from the center tested positive for Naegleria fowleri.
The center remains open but has suspended whitewater activities while it drains and works to improve its water quality systems. They state on their website they plan to resume whitewater rafting in a few weeks.
