'Legionella Is Flourishing': GSA Confronts Deadly Bacteria

10/4/2024

Legionella is back. With a vengeance. 

The bacteria that cause Legionnaire’s disease — a severe form of pneumonia — have turned up in test results from federal buildings owned and managed by the General Services Administration (GSA).  

In September, the union representing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staff called on the EPA to allow temporary remote work after Legionella bacteria was found at multiple EPA facilities around the country, according to The Hill. Officials have reportedly closed sinks, water fountains and other water sources at EPA buildings after positive tests for the bacteria. 

“Legionella is flourishing,” says Elliot Doomes, commissioner of the GSA’s public buildings service, at the recent Healthy Buildings Policy Summit hosted by the International Well Building Institute in Washington, D.C. “We are doing our best to proactively not only test all our buildings but to flush them.” 

Doomes says the GSA recently issued a new order for drinking water quality management that integrates the Centers for Disease Control’s resources for Legionella, thresholds set by EPA regulations for public water systems and ASHRAE’s best practices for risk management for drinking water systems. 

Among the GSA locations where outbreaks have occurred are: 

New York City. Water tests at a major federal building in Lower Manhattan that houses immigration court and federal law enforcement offices have found Legionella in the water at 81 locations at 26 Federal Plaza, according to The City. 

Chicago. At the Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building, drinking water samples tested positive for Legionella bacteria, as well as lead and copper, according to CBS News. The union representing employees in the building says it is unsafe to go to work there. 

Maryland. Elevated levels of Legionella bacteria were recently detected in water fixtures during routine testing at the Social Security Administration’s headquarters building, according to the Federal Times. Testing experts have told the GSA that roughly one-half of the water samples they took tested positive. 

Dan Hounsell is senior editor for the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.