Oakland County Takes Immediate Preventive Action After Routine Testing Detects Low Levels of Legionella at Children’s Village

• Low levels of legionella bacteria were detected in two buildings at Children's Village - there are no known cases of Legionnaires' Disease and risk to residents and staff remains low. The detected strain of legionella is not the bacteria that most commonly causes Legionnaires' disease.
• Facilities Management is installing 0.2-micron filters, flushing water systems and conducting follow-up testing in line with CDC guidelines.
• The county's investment in prevention continues to show results, with recent non-detect results at the Oakland County Jail, Little Oaks Child Development Center, Animal Shelter and Pet Adoption Center and other buildings.

March 4, 2026, Pontiac, Mich. - Routine water testing at Oakland County's Children's Village has detected low levels of legionella in two buildings - Building D (boys' secure detention) and the school building. The county's Facilities Management Department is taking swift, preventive action to remediate the bacteria, installing 0.2-micron filters on all fixtures in both buildings and will take other measures such as flushing their water systems.

There are no known cases of Legionnaires' disease associated with either building and the risk to residents, employees and the public remains low. The detected strain of legionella is not the bacteria that most commonly causes Legionnaires' disease.

Follow-up testing will be conducted after the initial remediation. Because these results came from routine monitoring - not a disease investigation - the county is following established CDC guidelines for its routine testing program.

Water samples were collected from eight Children's Village buildings on Feb. 24, with results returned March 4. Six buildings that were tested returned all non-detect results. Four samples were collected in Building D - boys' secure detention - with one low-level detection of legionella. Five samples were taken from the Children's Village school building, also with one low-level detection of legionella.

Recent water sampling results have indicated that Oakland County's proactive and vigorous preventive measures against the bacteria are effective. In January and February, non-detect results from routine water testing were reported for the Oakland County Jail, Little Oaks Child Development Center, Oakland County Animal Shelter and Pet Adoption Center, the North Office Building (26 East), and the West Wing Extension of the Oakland County Circuit Court complex, which includes the Prosecutor's Office, the Court Administrator's Office, Corporation Counsel, the Indigent Defense Office and the Elections Division.

Oakland County continues to maintain rigorous preventive practices across all county buildings, including routine system flushing and water temperature monitoring.

Oakland County has invested more than $640,000 in Legionella remediation and preventive measures. Nearly $563,000 has been spent to purchase 2,244 0.2-micron filters to ensure an immediate response whenever Legionella is detected in a fixture. To date, Oakland County Facilities Management Department has installed more than 500 filters in buildings where Legionella has been detected through routine and investigative testing. Any unused filters will be returned. The county has also spent $61,175 on both investigative and routine testing and a little more than $10,000 on items such as faucets, adapters and masks. To expedite the installation of filters in the larger facilities, Facilities Management also spent approximately $9,000 to bring in a contractor to assist with the installation work.