NYC installs cooling towers amid Upper East Side Legionella outbreak

City officials announced that water mist from cooling towers is believed to be the source of a Legionella outbreak on Manhattan's Upper East Side, where at least 23 people have fallen ill. Council Speaker Julie Menin said 179 cooling towers have been installed in the affected zip codes (10028, 10128 and 10075) and are currently undergoing inspection. > "The outbreak was identified relatively early thanks to 56 cooling tower inspectors on duty, up from 33 last year," Menin wrote in a letter to residents.

The city increased the number of inspectors after a previous outbreak in Central Harlem that resulted in seven deaths. Menin referenced a city council law that took effect in May, requiring building owners to test cooling towers at least monthly during warm months and to log sample results in a health department database within five days. Non-compliant owners may face fines ranging from $2,000 to $4,000. Menin asked the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for details on testing compliance, agency oversight, and any fines issued since the law's implementation.