The Alliance to Prevent Legionnaires’ Disease (ALPD) says the Trenton Water Works mitigation steps being taken to help stop the spread of Legionnaires’ Disease are the kind of proactive measures needed across the country.
Trenton Water Works recently announced it would begin low-velocity flushing of water mains throughout its 683-mile water distribution system.
“The goal of the low-velocity water main flushing is to mitigate conditions that promote the growth of pathogens, including Legionella, by increasing and sustaining chlorine residuals,” Sean Semple, Acting Director of the city’s Department of Water and Sewer, stated in media reports.
Marcy Savage, Director of Policy for the Alliance to Prevent Legionnaires’ Disease, said mitigation measures should target the legionella bacteria at its source and doing so will reduce the risk of a vast majority of Legionnaires’ Disease cases. According to the CDC, 96 percent of all Legionnaires’ Disease cases are individual, sporadic cases and not related to outbreaks.
“Taking steps to safeguard our water systems by preventing the growth of the pathogens that lead to Legionnaires’ Disease cases is what is needed to ensure we stop the spread of this disease,” Savage said. “What Trenton Water Works is doing is important and potentially life-saving work. We applaud Trenton Water Works for their proactive approach to stopping the spread of Legionnaires’ Disease.”
Legionnaires’ Disease is a waterborne illness, caused by Legionella bacteria, which is present in biofilms in water systems. Disruptions and changes in our water systems can increase the risk of exposure to legionella bacteria and the best way to minimize this risk is to take a root cause approach. The Alliance to Prevent Legionnaires Disease is recommending the following steps to prevent Legionnaires’ Disease:
• Increase investment in water infrastructure and technology that more effectively reduces or even eliminates legionella bacteria from the water going through a water treatment plant and the municipal distribution system.
• Utilize the EPA, working with water utilities, to take a more active role in minimizing legionella in the public water systems, including more robust monitoring and testing programs.
• Notify communities, including facilities and individual homeowners, when disruptions in the water supply system have occurred, as these disruptions could lead to higher contaminant levels, including legionella, entering the water systems inside the buildings and homes.
• Require public health officials to conduct comprehensive investigations of Legionnaires’ disease cases, including sampling drinking water at multiple points, to ensure the bacteria’s true source is found.
“Taking a root-cause approach will substantially reduce the risk of Legionnaires’ Disease which adversely affects the most vulnerable populations,” Savage said. “The only way to address the 96 percent of Legionnaires’ Disease cases is to stop the bacteria from building up and getting into our homes and that is what Trenton Water Works is doing.”
