CLEVELAND — A recent water test at the Cuyahoga County Justice Center detected the presence of Legionella bacteria in part of its water system.
County Spokesperson Jennier Ciaccia said in a news release Friday that the areas where the bacteria was found included portions of the Justice Center Atrium, Jail One and Tower One, which are all part of the same water system.
The tests were performed on March 19, and the county received the results on March 31; the levels found in the water system are unlikely to cause illness, according to Ciaccia.
The rest of the Justice Center and the attached courts are on a separate water system. The courts are open during normal business hours.
"The water at the Justice Center is safe for normal use. There are no known cases of illness associated with Legionella bacteria in Cuyahoga County," Ciaccia said in the news release.
She continued, "Out of an abundance of caution and based on CDC guidance, the County is notifying the public and taking swift action to address the issue and protect the health and safety of our staff, stakeholders, and those in our custody. We have consulted with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, the Cleveland Department of Public Health, and MetroHealth on the issue."
The county will work with environmental consultants to handle the situation. After learning of the bacteria, Ciaccia said the county did the following:
- Immediately shut off the water sources where Legionella bacteria was detected
- Installed a Point of Use Filtration system with 0.2-micron biological filtration to remove bacterial agents
- Flushed and disinfected the water system to reduce bacterial presence
- Conducted a thorough assessment of the entire water system and further evaluated all water components
- Scheduled further testing to confirm that all areas are free of Legionella bacteria
"The presence of the bacteria does not automatically mean that people will become sick or that there will be a widespread illness. It is also not spread through the normal drinking of water. The water at the Justice Center is safe to drink," Ciaccia said. "The County will continue to monitor the system and conduct additional testing to confirm the issue is resolved."
