CLERMONT – Rumors of an amoeba outbreak at the Champions Splash Park at Waterfront Park in Clermont were put to rest Thursday by the Lake County Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“There is no amoeba. They can’t even survive in that type of water,” said Scott Davidoff, Clermont’s parks and recreation director.

Davidoff said it's almost impossible for someone to contract an amoeba by playing in the splash pad because the water is chlorine filtered, chemically treated and put through a UV filter.

According to Davidoff, the Health Department notified the city that it received a report Tuesday from someone who tested for the parasite. Some social media sites were also popping with chatter from splash park visitors who were concerned about contracting parasites from the facility.

The Health Department contacted the CDC, which analyzed a sample from the splash pad.

Noelda Lopez, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Health in Lake County, on Thursday said in an email, “We can confirm test results came back negative.”

Orange County Health Department spokesman Kent Donahue said those worried about having contracted amoebas went to Florida Hospital in Orlando to be treated.

Donahue could not comment on whether those tested were adults or children but said they stated they'd visited the Champions Splash Park but also other waterparks in the area.

Samples were taken at the hospital and sent to the CDC in Atlanta for testing, Donahue said.

"It's good news the tests all came back negative," he added.

During the two-day testing window, the splash park in Clermont remained open.

“They (Health Department officials) recommended doing nothing until they tested it, so there was no need to shut anything down,” Davidoff said.

According to the CDC website, amoebas – known by the scientific name Naegleria fowleri – can be found in warm fresh water bodies like lakes and rivers, geothermal (naturally hot) water such as hot springs, warm water discharge from industrial plants, geothermal drinking water sources, swimming pools that are poorly maintained, minimally chlorinated, and/or unchlorinated, water heaters and soil.

Naegleria fowleri grows best at higher temperatures up to 115 degress Faranheit and can survive for short periods at higher temperatures, the website says.