North Bay Village fails to comply with water quality monitoring requirements

Florida Department of Health issued North Bay Village a violation letter

NORTH BAY VILLAGE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Health in Miami -Dade issued a violation letter to North Bay Village for failing to comply with the monitoring of lead and copper in their water system.

The letter, which was sent to village officials in January, states that the three-island cluster on the Kennedy Causeway, failed to comply with the requirements from 2013 to 2016.

"The violation pertains to North Bay Village failing to comply with water quality monitoring requirements, such as not providing the department with the required number of samples for testing,"  said Olga Connor,
director  of communication and legislative affairs for the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County. "The violation relates to sampling and testing, not to the water quality."

Village Manager Frank Rollason issued an apology Friday, admitting that his administration made a mistake when they missed the deadline to submit the water samples.

"I want the residents to know that there's no excuse for it ," Rollason said. "We are responsible for that . That responsibility ends at my desk."

But Rollason also said that although the samples were submitted late, health officials made it clear to him that the water was safe to drink and there was no threat to the public's safety.

"They indicated to us that there was nothing in the numbers to make them concerned ," Rollason said. "I didn't alert the residents because I didn't want to cause panic."

Rollason said the village has already submitted new samples and expects to get the results next week.

North Bay Village Mayor Connie Leon-Kreps said he was concerned and disappointed.

"There's no excuse for not meeting the deadlines," she said . "I'm concerned that we haven't sent a letter out to our residents."

Many residents echoed the same concerns as the mayor.

"They should've told the residents," said Craig Gaines, a North Bay Village resident. "It fearful not to know what's going on . The city should stay on top of things."

North Bay Village water is purchased from the Miami Dade County water system. The county water system is tested throughout the year and  consistently demonstrated compliance with all federal and state primary safe drinking water standards.