Upper West Side building discovers Legionella in hot water system amid citywide outbreak
A residential building on Manhattan's Upper West Side independently detected Legionella bacteria in its hot water system and plans remediation, while city health officials continue disinfection efforts for cooling towers linked to a rising Legionnaires' disease outbreak on the Upper East Side.
The Ardsley building on Central Park West reported the presence of Legionella bacteria in its hot water system and said it will remediate the issue on its own. The discovery came as New York City’s health department ordered 31 cooling towers to be drained and disinfected after PCR testing indicated Legionella, with an additional 12 towers slated for cleaning by Saturday.
Health Commissioner [Name] said the department acted quickly, ordering full drainage, cleaning and disinfection of the towers at the PCR stage, a measure described as the most aggressive response the city has taken.
City Council Speaker Julie Menin expressed concern that the delay in ordering immediate disinfection of all towers may have allowed additional cases of Legionnaires' disease to develop.
Residents in affected neighborhoods reported heightened caution, with some keeping windows closed despite assurances that remediation was underway.
The health department continues to investigate which cooling tower may have triggered the outbreak on the Upper East Side, while the list of buildings with positive PCR results and their remediation status has been made public.