West Orange School Finds Legionella Bacteria In Water: Officials

WEST ORANGE, NJ — A West Orange elementary school has joined a growing list of buildings in town that are dealing with the discovery of Legionella bacteria in the water supply, administrators reported Wednesday.

Redwood Elementary School has begun remediation efforts after four of 15 samples showed “very low levels of Legionella bacteria,” the organisms that lead to Legionnaire's Disease, a severe form of pneumonia commonly found in found in potable and non-potable water systems.

The district began testing at the school after a parent whose child was attending summer camp at Redwood Elementary reported that her child was sick with what the doctor said could be Legionnaire's Disease. The child was ultimately determined not to have the disease and is now feeling well, Superintendent Jeff Rutzky said.

According to the round of testing, which collected samples on Aug. 2 and returned results on Aug. 13, the four sites where bacteria were isolated are:

• basement hot water heater
• kitchen sink adjacent to oven
• nurse sink
• art room

Remedial steps that are being taken at the school include:

• “installing filters on the water sources that tested positive”
• “replacing faucets in the affected areas”
• “covering all water fountains despite the disease can only be transmittable via airborne droplets and not from drinking affected water”
• “removing, cleaning and sanitizing all aerators (screens) in all rooms”

School administrators stated Wednesday:

“A meeting with the consultant from Garden State Environmental, Health Department representatives, and township and district personnel took place to discuss test results and remediation efforts so resources could be compared and utilized effectively between the District and Township. OMEGA Environmental was hired to perform a chlorination procedure that will eliminate all bacteria in the pipes. Retesting on the four areas that tested positive will happen immediately after the chlorination is completed.”

WHERE ELSE HAS LEGIONELLA BEEN FOUND IN WEST ORANGE?

Earlier this month, West Orange township officials announced that water testing has revealed elevated levels of Legionella bacteria at several municipal properties in West Orange, including Town Hall, Lafayette Park, O'Connor Park, Fire Headquarters, Firehouse No. 2, Firehouse No. 4 and Police Headquarters.

The Legionella bacteria found in the water at the two parks is specific to the field houses and not the public recreational areas, a West Orange spokesperson said.

• See related article: Legionella Found In Water At West Orange Parks, Fire/Police HQ

In response, the township immediately shut down water supply at those properties and is conducting remedial steps that include installing filters, flushing plumbing and distributing bottled water, officials reported.

Last month, testing revealed elevated levels of the bacteria at West Orange Town Hall after a longtime municipal worker was hospitalized with Legionnaire's Disease.

• See related article: Legionella Found At West Orange Town Hall After Worker Gets Sick

The employee is recovering and is back on the job. Experts have allegedly told West Orange officials that it's unlikely the worker contracted the disease from the water at Town Hall, since more than one person would have gotten sick.

• See related article: West Orange Worker Didn't Get Legionnaire's At Town Hall, Official Says

West Orange Director of Health Theresa DeNova provided the following information about Legionnaire's Disease:

"It is not contagious, person to person… it is not airborne… it cannot be contracted by drinking or touching water… and the way it is contracted is by inhaling contaminated water mist."

New Jersey American Water released the following statement about the situation in West Orange:

"Providing safe water is New Jersey American Water's number one priority and a responsibility we share with all our customers. Although the drinking water we deliver is treated and meets all federal and state water quality standards and requirements, the quality of that water can change once it leaves our pipes and enters domestic plumbing systems. When we became aware of the issues the Township of West Orange experienced with legionella in the plumbing infrastructure of its Municipal Township Building, we began proactively working with Mayor Parisi, his staff, health officials and town consultants to provide expert guidance and assistance as the town works to remedy this situation. We are committed to helping the Township resolve this issue as they work to disinfect and upgrade their building systems to ensure a healthy and safe work environment for their employees."

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