The Alliance to Prevent Legionnaires' Disease (APLD) commissioned the testing following a recent outbreak, collecting 109 samples from 19 buildings. Results confirmed the presence of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1, a dangerous strain, alongside critically low chlorine residuals averaging 0.12 mg/L. This level falls significantly short of the 0.5 mg/L recommended by EPA workgroups to inhibit bacterial growth.
Independent testing finds Legionella in 17% of Upper East Side water samples
Seventeen percent of water samples taken from sinks, showers, and exterior hose bibs in New York City’s Upper East Side tested positive for Legionella bacteria. The independent study, conducted in July across three zip codes, challenges the city's current regulatory focus, which primarily targets cooling towers during disease outbreaks.
Bob Bowcock, an APLD board member, argued that the city’s strategy ignores potential exposure points within building plumbing. While officials have focused on cooling towers, the APLD maintains that an effective prevention model must address the entire distribution system from the municipal source to the residential tap. With 96 percent of Legionnaires' cases nationwide occurring sporadically rather than in clusters, advocates are pushing for stricter, holistic oversight similar to legislation already enacted in New Jersey and Illinois. Bill McQuade, former president of ASHRAE, stated that the findings should serve as a wake-up call for health officials to abandon narrow investigative parameters in favor of comprehensive building water management plans.
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