CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A Charlotte-area whitewater recreation area plans to treat water to kill a potentially deadly microorganism and expel it into a neighboring river after an Ohio teen died of a brain-attacking microorganism.
The Charlotte Observer reports (http://bit.ly/2a3h9Vb ) that Mecklenburg County officials are executing the plan at the U.S. National Whitewater Center. Deputy County Manager Chris Peek says water would be treated with chlorine to kill the amoeba, the chemical removed, then the water drained into the Catawba River.
Sam Perkins of the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation environmental group says the plan is based on research into stopping the amoeba.
The center stopped whitewater rafting last month after 18-year-old Lauren Seitz of Westerville, Ohio, died of an infection caused by the amoeba. Authorities believe Seitz contracted the waterborne illness at the center.
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Information from: The Charlotte Observer, http://www.charlotteobserver.com