COCOA BEACH, Fla. -- Dog owners can bring their dogs to Lori Wilson Dog Park in Cocoa Beach without worrying about them drinking contaminated water.

  • Well water at dog park contained cancer-causing chemicals
  • Water source temporarily switched to city water
  • Dog owners wonder if side effects will show up later

The City tested 19 sampling locations after potential concerns regarding cancer-causing chemical in well water and lift stations. Eleven were above the EPA's lifetime health advisory level.

On that list was the Lori Wilson Dog Park well that dogs use as a source of drinking water. It tested positive for high levels of PFOA and PFOS, with 123 parts per trillion which is way higher than the EPA's lifetime health advisory level of 70 parts per trillion.

"The results suggest that elevated PFOS and PFOA are associated with portions of the WRF system influenced by discharges from Patrick Air Force Base into the collection system," according to the city's website.

The man-made compounds were used in firefighting foam Patrick Air Force Base used many years ago and can be found in some household items like nonstick coatings. According to the EPA, "between 2000 and 2002, PFOS was voluntarily phased out of production in the U.S. by its primary manufacturer. In 2006, eight major companies voluntarily agreed to phase out their global production of PFOA and PFOA-related chemicals, although there are a limited number of ongoing uses."

Since the discovery, the temporary fix is to change the dog park's water source from well water to city water. Although it's unclear how long it will take to clean up the well water and the costs associated with that process.

For the past few months, dog owners Kathy and John Potts have been bringing their three dogs to the park and noticed on a regular basis their pups been having random stomach aches and now they know a potential reason why.

"They've been drinking it the whole time we've been coming here, they've been getting random diarrhea at least once a week," Potts said.

On the other hand, Mike Cleary's been bringing his dog Brody for the past five years with no side effects. Dog owners who frequent the park can't help but wonder if there might be health effects later down the line.

"Everybody cares about their animals, although for five years my dogs been drinking it," Cleary said. ​