citation_inspection: 70

Water quality records for the AASC pools 1 and 2 housing whales Jetta (Pool 1) and Havana (Pool 2) were reviewed. Both of these whales are under veterinary care. There were multiple instances of consecutive days in December 2021 when the coliform bacteria count of water samples of the pools far exceeded 1,000 MPN. In Pool 1 from 11/30/21 to 12/25/21 (26 days) there were only 6 days where the coliforms were measured under 1000 MPN (3 of those values were in the 900’s) and 5 days of coliform values over 10,000 MPN. In Pool 2 from 11/30/21 until 12/30/21 (31 days) there were 16 days of high coliform counts with values on 4 of those days over 19,000 MPN and only 4 days where the coliform levels were under 1000 MPN During this same time period, there are entries in Havana’s medical record documenting instances of keratitis, blepharospasm, inappetence, GI discomfort, and rubbing the skin of her fluke and rostrum on the sides of the pool. The entry in her medical record for 12/8/21 after consultation with an ophthalmologist, states that “coliform changes may have contributed to keratopathy, so plan to work with the LSS/WQ team (life support system/water quality) to mitigate even small fluctuations”. Per this Section of the Regulations the primary enclosure shall not contain water which would be detrimental to the health of the marine mammal contained therein. Elevated levels of coliforms and other indicators of water quality, such as oxidants in the water, are harmful to marine mammals and may cause irritation to eyes, skin, and the respiratory system.