County Administration Details Significant Progress on Legionella Remediation and Continued Safeguards

• Significant progress on remediation has been made at the Sheriff's Administration Building and Oakland County Circuit Court Tower through comprehensive testing, targeted filter installation, system flushing and continuous monitoring.
• Ongoing and expanded safeguards are underway with multiple rounds of water sampling, enhanced preventative maintenance and an expanded testing framework at additional county facilities.
• Long-term prevention and transparency are being prioritized through the development of county water management plans, the establishment of a Water Safety Committee and regular communications with employees and the public.

Pontiac, Mich. - Oakland County Executive administration today updated county commissioners about efforts to remediate legionella in the Sheriff's Administration Building and the Oakland County Circuit Court Tower and how they are forging ahead with proactive prevention measures in other county buildings.

Oakland County Health Officer Kate Guzman, Facilities Management Director Ed Joss, Risk Manager Diana McBroom and the county's contracted industrial hygienist Cindy Ostrowski appeared before the Board of Commissioners' Public Health and Safety Committee meeting this morning in Pontiac.

Here are key takeaways:

• Oakland County is taking proactive, science-based action to protect employees and the public's health including comprehensive testing, monitoring and prevention efforts that align with CDC, MDHHS and national engineering standards.
• Rigorous testing and remediation efforts are ongoing with multiple rounds of water sampling that are analyzed by CDC-certified laboratories along with targeted remediation and system improvements to ensure long-term safety.
• The most recent water sampling results show that the presence of Legionella in the Sheriff's Administration Building and the Oakland County Circuit Court Tower has been significantly reduced, indicating that remediation efforts have been effective.
• Long-term prevention and transparency are priorities as the county develops water management plans and continues regular communication with employees and the public.
• Legionnaire's disease is not spread person-to-person and is treatable. Most people who are exposed do not become ill and cases are effectively treated with antibiotics when identified.

Additional investigation testing is underway for the Sheriff's Administration Building and the Oakland County Circuit Court Tower and will continue through May, along with ongoing preventative maintenance and monitoring.

An expanded testing framework is being launched at other county facilities, including the Main Jail and Annex, Court Complex East and West Wings, Children's Village, Little Oaks, Daniel T. Murphy North Oakland Health Center and the Medical Examiner's Office.

Preventive maintenance and monitoring are taking place at all facilities on the county campus. These efforts include:

• Weekly flushing of water systems in all county buildings
• Monitoring water heaters and boilers
• Chemical treatment of cooling towers
• Seasonal draining and professional cleaning of cooling equipment

To enhance long-term water safety, the county will establish a Water Safety Committee including Facilities Management, Health Division, Risk Management, consultants and other key stakeholders. It is also developing a comprehensive Water Management Plan (WMP) covering all county buildings to strengthen long-term prevention.

To view the Public Health and Safety Committee meeting, go to the Board of Commissioners' YouTube channel, OakGovBOC.