Legionnaires’ Disease at North Shore Towers: What Boards and Residents Should Know

What Happened at North Shore Towers

In early October, the New York City Health Department confirmed that two residents of North Shore Towers, the co-op complex in Glen Oaks, Queens, had been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease. The department opened an investigation focused on the complex’s internal hot water system, not its cooling tower, and described it as a building evaluation rather than a community cluster. A department spokesperson said Legionella had not been confirmed at the complex at that point and that there was no risk to the surrounding community. Management said it had taken several precautionary measures and was cooperating with the Health Department, which also held a community meeting for residents at the complex.

The Guidance Residents Received

Tap water remained safe to drink. But residents who smoke, have a chronic respiratory condition, or are over 50 were advised to avoid showers while the investigation continued, to take warm baths instead, and to limit time in the bathroom while the tub fills. Anyone with fever, chills, muscle aches, or a cough was told to seek medical care right away. The reason for this advice: Legionnaires’ disease is caught by breathing in fine water mist, which showers produce. It is not spread by drinking water normally.

Not an Isolated Case

The same week, Gothamist reported that Legionella was found in the water system of 185 Saint Mark’s Place, one of two towers at Castleton Park Apartments on Staten Island, after two residents were diagnosed over the past year. The Health Department said remediation was underway. Two buildings in two boroughs in a single week show that this is a building-operations issue every board should take seriously.

Legionnaires’ Disease: The Basics

According to the CDC, Legionnaires’ disease is a serious type of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. People get sick by inhaling small droplets of contaminated water. In general, it does not spread from person to person. Those at higher risk include people 50 or older, current or former smokers, and people with chronic lung disease, cancer, diabetes, kidney or liver failure, or a weakened immune system. Symptoms include cough, fever, headache, muscle aches, and shortness of breath, and usually begin 2 to 14 days after exposure.

Where Legionella Grows in a Building

The CDC lists warm water, roughly 77°F to 113°F, as a key growth factor, along with stagnant water, biofilm and scale, and low disinfectant levels. In apartment buildings that points to two systems. The first is cooling towers, which create mist that can carry bacteria outdoors. The second is domestic hot water: water heaters, storage tanks, and piping, especially in rarely used units or dead-end lines where water sits. New York City requires hot water to reach at least 120°F at the tap, which helps, but temperature alone does not prevent growth in parts of a system where water stagnates.

What NYC Requires

After the deadly 2015 South Bronx outbreak, the city passed Local Law 77 of 2015. Any building with a cooling tower must register it with the Department of Buildings, certify it each year, and follow a written maintenance program and plan. That plan includes routine water treatment, regular inspections, and Legionella testing at least every 90 days. If a sample shows 1,000 or more colony-forming units per milliliter, the owner must notify the Health Department within 24 hours and take corrective action. These routine testing rules cover cooling towers. A building’s domestic hot water system, where the North Shore Towers investigation is focused, is not part of that routine testing regime, which makes voluntary management all the more important.

What Boards Can Do Now

Confirm your cooling tower, if you have one, is registered and certified, with up-to-date inspection and test records. Ask your managing agent and engineer whether the building has a water management program for its domestic hot water system. The CDC’s toolkit lays out how to build one: form a team, map the system, identify where water can stagnate or cool, set control limits for temperature and disinfectant, and document the results. Flush vacant units and little-used lines regularly. Check water heater and storage tank temperatures. Know who to call if a resident reports a diagnosis. Finally, have a resident-communication plan ready so that, if the Health Department ever calls, accurate guidance reaches residents quickly.

• Legionnaires’ Cases at North Shore Towers — QNS
• 2 Legionnaires’ Disease Cases Confirmed at Queens Apartment Complex — Patch
• Two Legionnaires’ Cases Diagnosed — Queens Chronicle
• Health Dept. Confirms Two Legionnaires’ Cases at North Shore Towers — Long Island Press
• Legionella Found in Staten Island Building’s Water System — Gothamist
• About Legionnaires’ Disease — CDC
• Causes of Legionnaires’ Disease — CDC
• Water Management Programs — CDC
• Cooling Tower FAQs — NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Questions About How This Affects Your Building?

Our team stays on top of the regulatory changes that matter to your board and your residents.

Get new Insights articles by email