Testing for Legionella in Retirement Communities

Legionella is a naturally occurring bacteria in water. It can be found in drinking water taps, fountains, cooling tower water, and other water sources. It causes Legionnaires’ disease, which greatly affects older demographics and those who are immunocompromised. If a Legionella outbreak occurs at a retirement community it is especially harmful to its residents.

Legionella Sampling in Senior Living Facilities

Testing for Legionella in retirement communities occurs by taking water samples from various sources. You should sample 3.5oz to 10oz of water with a sampling bottle. Here are some of the potential water sources to sample from:

• Potable Water Sources (Faucets, shower heads, water heaters, water softeners, hot/cold water returns, water mains)
• Cooling Towers (Chillers, reservoirs, sumps, basins, make-up water)
• Other (Humidifiers, fountains, sprinklers, spas)

Legionella Laboratory Testing

qPCR Testing- This type of test is much faster than traditional methods. Once it is analyzed by a laboratory, it only takes a few hours to detect if the sample is positive for the Legionella Bacteria.

Culture Testing- This involves the sample growing on an agar petri dish. This is a slow method, taking over a week to complete. Due to this, it is not recommended for situations like independent living facilities or assisted living facilities, where residents are actively drinking the water, or exposed to the water in a cooling tower or fountain.

Steps for Senior Living Water Management Plan

A water management plan is essential to reduce the risk of Legionella outbreaks especially when you are working with a vulnerable population like senior citizens.

1. Find which populations could contract it. Are there at-risk people living nearby or consuming the water?
2. Inspect your water systems for risks. Anywhere where stagnant water could be present, dead legs can lead to ideal growth environments for Legionella. It does well in temperatures 77°F or above.
3. Water system maintenance. Maintained water systems to avoid problems such as corrosion, scale, and other debris. All of these can create deposits of Legionella Bacteria and help form biofilm, which shields and helps Legionella Bacteria grow.
4. Establish a team and procedures. Designing, communicating, documenting, and delegating responsibilities is important to run a successful water management plan. The staff at both assisted and independent living facilities can be busy, so you may have to outsource some of these responsibilities.
5. Flushing the system. Often at a retirement community, there are vacancies. Water gets left in pipes if it is not used regularly and it needs to be flushed weekly. This weekly flushing prevents stagnation in the water.

Legionella Outbreak in Milwaukee Wisconsin

At Noble Senior Living in Milwaukee Wisconsin, there was a Legionella outbreak in their cooling tower. The health department there had identified the cooling tower recently as testing positive for Legionella. There have been several reported cases like this across Wisconsin. In 2018 three patients died in Madison Wisconsin due to an outbreak at UW Hospital.

Legionella Testing Services for Senior Living Facilities

If you are concerned about the recent outbreak in Milwaukee, we test there, Madison, Rockford, Kenosha, Chicago, Sheboygan, Appleton, Green Bay, Naperville, Aurora, and surrounding areas. We have two service managers and several testing staff in that area ready to provide sampling, testing, and remediation services. We also service the Midwest and Midatlantic regions of the US. Our service areas can be found here. As a retirement community, it is essential to put safety first. Have the experts at Chardon Labs handle this for you and book testing today!

Matt Welsh

Matt Welsh is the Vice President and Water Consultant at Chardon Labs. He helps consult a wide range of customers utilizing various methods of water treatment, from chemical to chemical-free approaches, large and small applications, and across a wide range of geographical influences. With 20 years of water treatment experience, including a wide range of troubleshooting and service in potable water and non-potable HVAC and industrial applications, he is an expert in water treatment chemistry for cooling towers, boilers, and closed-loop systems.