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Most NYC cooling tower inspections show Legionella-linked violations
A Bisnow analysis of NYC Health Department data found 70% of cooling tower inspections since 2017 resulted in violations, with about 10% linked to Legionella public health hazards.
A vast majority of New York City cooling towers have been failing to meet city health requirements over the past decade, raising pressure on building owners as the city responds to a second major Legionnaires' disease outbreak in as many years, according to Bisnow. Bisnow’s analysis of New York City Health Department Office of Building Water Systems Oversight data, covering roughly 5,000 registered cooling towers across the five boroughs, found that since 2017, 70% of inspections resulted in violations. Of those violations, nearly 10% were categorized as public health hazards related to Legionella bacteria, which can occur when operators do not maintain proper programs, do not test, or do not take corrective action after elevated results. Across more than 123,000 inspections of active towers since 2017, the analysis reported about 28,200 general citations, nearly 49,000 critical violations, and just under 12,000 public health hazards. The data does not indicate whether violations were resolved.
As of Wednesday, the city reported 64 Legionnaires’ disease cases in the Upper East Side neighborhoods of Carnegie Hill and Yorkville, with no deaths reported. Officials said the cluster has led to testing nearly 200 cooling towers in the area and ordering at least 76 building owners to drain, clean, and disinfect their systems, with health officials saying they will issue additional violations for improper maintenance; Bisnow also notes that most buildings that previously tested positive during the outbreak had recorded violations, including at least five failing inspections within the last 12 months.