News

By Jane Smith

When Delray Beach reorganized its Utilities Department in late January, it abruptly ended the employment of an industrial pretreatment inspector.
“It was done for efficiency and austerity reasons,” City Manager Terrence Moore said on Jan. 28. He approved the reorganization.
The inspector, Christine Ferrigan, was notified on Jan. 26 that her services were no longer needed, effective immediately.
Ferrigan declined to comment.
Hired in June 2017, Ferrigan often sided with barrier island residents and provided information to the Florida Department of Health after it began investigating the city’s reclaimed water program in January 2020.
In late 2018, Ferrigan interviewed people and inspected South Ocean Boulevard locations where residents were reported being sickened after reclaimed water was connected. It apparently mixed with drinking water.
The city issued a boil-water order in that area in December 2018.
In February 2020, Delray Beach shut down its entire reclaimed water system to avoid a citywide boil-water order, triggered by a South Ocean Boulevard resident’s complaint.
That investigation led city commissioners to sign a consent order on Nov. 9 with the Health Department, agreeing to pay $1 million in civil fines for violations in the city’s water program.
Since Dec. 1, Delray Beach has operated under a Health Department consent order that lasts five years.
The next consent order deadline for Delray Beach is Feb. 28, when a quarterly progress report is due, ensuring all reclaimed water customers comply with the rules.