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Legionella is back in the headlines. In September, the New York City Health Department reported that preliminary testing detected Legionella in ten cooling towers during its investigation of a cluster of Legionnaires' disease cases in the South Bronx. One of those cooling towers was located at Yankee Stadium. That last sentence is understandably the one that generated headlines. But it is important to be precise about what actually happened. The testing was performed using PC

When a case of healthcare-associated Legionnaires’ disease occurs, investigators naturally start looking at the building water system. Showers. Sinks. Hot water. Fixtures. That is exactly what investigators did following a case of Legionnaires’ disease at Besançon University Hospital in France. The results created an unusual problem. The hospital water samples were negative. The patient's water flosser was not. A Legionnaires’ Disease Case With an Unexpected Source The case w

When most people picture a cruise vacation, they think about ocean views, warm weather, pools, hot tubs, restaurants, and a week away from the everyday grind. They probably are not thinking about what is happening inside the miles of piping behind the walls of the ship. But Legionella is. Legionella bacteria do not care whether the water system belongs to a hospital, hotel, senior living community, manufacturing facility, or luxury cruise ship. Give the bacteria the right con

When a facility replaces an aging water heater with brand-new equipment, the assumption is usually simple: the system should now be safer, cleaner, and more reliable. A recently published Legionnaires’ disease investigation shows why that assumption can be dangerous. In July 2026, the CDC's Emerging Infectious Diseases journal published an investigation into cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the Netherlands associated with newly installed residential water heaters. The findin

Receiving a positive Legionella test result can immediately raise difficult questions for a healthcare facility, senior living community, hotel, or other large building. Is there an immediate risk? Who needs to be notified? Should part of the water system be shut down? Does the building need remediation? Should additional samples be collected? The decisions made during the first hours following a positive result can have a significant impact on how effectively the situation i

A Practical Guide to Responding Quickly, Correctly, and Defensibly Few laboratory reports get the attention of a healthcare facility, senior living community, hotel, or large building operator quite like a positive Legionella result. The first reaction is often concern. How serious is it? Where did it come from? Do we need to shut something down? Who needs to know? Are patients, residents, employees, or guests at risk? What are regulators going to expect? And perhaps most imp

The city delivers the water. Your building determines what happens next. Our article, "The Story of One Drop: The Biggest Misconception About Municipal Water," followed a single drop of water from the treatment plant to the patient shower. Along the way, we watched disinfectant residual decline, water age increase, and conditions become more favorable for microbial growth. But here is the question every facility manager should ask: If two buildings receive water from the same

The coworkers every Infection Preventionist knows all too well. Every hospital has them. The dependable coworker. The one who quietly creates problems. The one who only gets attention when something goes wrong. Believe it or not, building water systems have personalities too. While pipes and pumps don't actually have attitudes, the way a water system behaves can tell you a lot about its health, and its potential impact on infection prevention. Let's meet a few familiar faces.

When most people think about water safety in healthcare facilities, long-term care communities, commercial buildings, and industrial water systems, one name typically comes to mind: Legionella. Given the severe health risks associated with Legionnaires' disease, that focus is well deserved. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Legionella is the leading cause of reported waterborne disease outbreaks associated with building water systems in the Un

Recent reports of Legionnaires' disease in New York have drawn national attention and prompted an extensive public health response. Our thoughts are with the individuals, families, and communities affected as health officials continue their investigation. While each situation is unique and investigations take time to determine the source of exposure, events like these serve as an important reminder of why proactive water management is essential. For facility managers, propert

Legionella control is not about finding the strongest chemical or the newest piece of equipment. It is about one question: Can the treatment method maintain measurable control throughout a complex building water system over time? That is where many traditional approaches fall short. Hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, rehab centers, and other healthcare buildings are not simple plumbing systems. They have long pipe runs, hot and cold loops, storage tanks, mixing valves, lo

Why Every Renovation Should Include a Water Management Plan When most people think about construction projects in healthcare facilities, they focus on timelines, budgets, and minimizing disruptions to patient care. Few stop to consider what may be happening inside the building's plumbing system. Whether it's a small clinic renovation, a new patient tower, or the replacement of a single wing, nearly every construction project changes how water moves through a facility. Those c

The Water Sources Everyone Forgets About When healthcare facilities think about water management, the focus is usually directed toward the obvious sources: patient room sinks, showers, water heaters, and cooling towers. Those systems certainly deserve attention. They are among the most common areas evaluated during water management programs and Legionella risk assessments. However, some of the greatest risks in a facility often come from the water sources that receive the lea

Most healthcare facilities understand the importance of routine water testing. Quarterly sampling has become a standard part of many water management programs, helping organizations monitor for Legionella and evaluate the overall health of their water systems. But there is an important question that often goes unasked: What happens during the other 89 days between testing events? The reality is that water systems do not remain static between quarterly tests. They are constant

When a patient is discharged, the room is cleaned and prepared for the next occupant. When a maintenance issue is repaired, the work order is closed. When a positive Legionella sample is remediated, many organizations assume the problem has been solved. Unfortunately, water systems do not always work that way. In many healthcare facilities, the plumbing system remembers. Not because pipes can think, but because biofilm, scale, sediment, corrosion, and stagnant water create co

Healthcare facilities spend millions of dollars each year on advanced technology designed to improve patient outcomes. Sophisticated air handling systems. UV disinfection devices. Electronic surveillance software. Water treatment systems. Automated dispensing cabinets. Artificial intelligence tools. These technologies are valuable and often necessary. But there is a surprising reality that infection prevention professionals understand better than most: The most important infe

This week alone, two separate chemical tank failures made headlines. One occurred in Garden Grove and another in Washington. Different facilities. Different systems. Different circumstances. But they all point to the same reality: Accidents and incidents happen. Equipment fails. Tanks rupture. Pumps stop working. Sensors malfunction. Human error occurs. Aging infrastructure deteriorates. Even well-managed facilities can experience unexpected problems. The question is not whet

When people think about Legionella risk in large facilities, they often think first about cooling towers or incoming city water. Those are important, but they are only part of the story. In many buildings, the bigger issue is not simply what enters the facility. It is what happens after the water gets inside. A facility water system is not a straight pipe from the city main to the faucet. It is a complex network of hot water loops, cold water lines, storage tanks, recirculati

When a building water system is working properly, nobody notices. There are no headlines. No emergency meetings. No outbreak investigations. No patients becoming sick from something that should have been preventable. And honestly, that is the goal. In healthcare and large building environments, success in water safety often looks like absolutely nothing happening at all. That may not sound exciting, but behind every quiet day is a tremendous amount of work, planning, monitori

Recent reports of a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship are a tragic and sobering reminder of something we don’t talk about enough: Even in 2026, we are not immune to biological risk. First and foremost, situations like this deserve to be approached with respect. These types of outbreaks are often complex, and in many cases, not the result of negligence or error. Some pathogens originate from environmental or external sources that are difficult to predict or fully control. B