Legionella Found in Akasofu and Usibelli Buildings on UAF Campus
By Manuel A. Melendez
The University of Alaska Fairbanks closed the showers in two of its buildings, Akasofu and Usibelli, on October 17, 2024, after the water tested positive for Legionella bacteria. The federal leases on the Akasofu and Usibelli buildings require UAF tests for Legionella periodically, per the General Services Administration guidelines starting this year. Concurrently with this test, a researcher at UAF with a large water project was running a separate test in the Akasofu building, and both tests, disconnected from one another, found Legionella in the water.
Marmian Grimes, the senior public information officer at UAF, revealed that university leadership was alerted on Monday, October 14, 2024, by the UAF researcher of Legionella in the Akasofu building. During the investigation of Akasofu, the federal lease tests conducted in that building confirmed Legionella in the water and its presence in the Usibelli building.
The showers were closed on the 17th after leadership consulted experts on the proper steps. Once the leadership had the information they needed, a campus-wide email informing UAF about the water test results and the closing of the showers was sent on October 18, 2024. When asked why these two buildings had a concentration of Legionella that required the showers to be closed, Grimes noted, "It's impossible to say why in those particular places [but] warm temperatures and water that doesn't move around very much are conditions that Legionella can grow in."
Legionella lives in the environment and naturally occurs. It can inhibit people if they breathe in water droplets, as in showers. It cannot cause illness by drinking water nor spread from person to person. Joe McLaughlin, the State Epidemiologist and Chief of the Alaska Section of Epidemiology at the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, recognizes that “there are many factors that can promote the growth of Legionella bacteria in water,” including older plumbing systems, low levels of chlorine, the presence of organic materials in the water, and a pH between 6.5-8.5. McLaughlin further detailed that since “Legionella is not regulated as a specific contaminant under the Safe Drinking Water Act like other microorganisms, such as E. coli or coliform bacteria,” the guidelines in terms of Legionella concentrations in water samples that require precautionary measures such as those taken by UAF vary by region.
There are no reports of anyone being sick due to the Legionella found in the showers, and Grimes reiterated, "Legionella does not hurt most healthy people," echoing the information found on the UAF on Alert website, which notes that “vulnerable populations may be susceptible to Legionnaires' disease or Pontiac fever.” Legionnaires' disease is reportable but there have not been any reports in the Fairbanks area.
Grimes stated that further water tests were conducted after the showers closed, and UAF is looking into this event to educate everyone further.