State Center buildings to close again in attempt to flush Legionella bacteria from water system

State office buildings in Baltimore’s State Center complex have been ordered to temporarily shut down again due to the lingering presence of Legionella bacteria in the water system, shortly after employees rallied against unsafe working conditions in state facilities.

A  Tuesday evening memo from the Department of General Services to workers said the three buildings will shut down on a rotating basis through the rest of the week, with employees working remote for one day and returning the following day depending on which building they work in.

But members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 3 say that the state is not doing enough to protect vulnerable employees from exposure to bacteria that could cause severe respiratory disease, according to a Wednesday statement from the union.

“We firmly believe all AFSCME members in the complex who can telework should be allowed to do so and provided the equipment necessary,” the statement says. “Others should be relocated swiftly, and those who must stay in order to temporarily shut the building down should be given the proper PPE [personal protective equipment], bottled water, and emergency pay needed to safely be in the buildings.

“With so much at stake, far more needs to be done including providing more resources,” the statement says.

Legionella is a bacteria that can spread through water systems and can lead to severe respiratory illness, including pneumonia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While most people exposed to the bacteria won’t get sick, certain populations are at a higher risk of severe disease, including smokers, people aged 50 years or older and those specific health conditions such as cancer and diabetes.

Chase Cook, communications director for the Maryland Department of Health, says the department is not aware of any illnesses affecting state workers due to exposure to the water in State Center.

Reports of Legionella at State Center began in November, and employees were instructed to work remotely for a few days while the State Center water systems were flushed. Even though employees had returned to work in person, however, DGS confirmed that Legionella was still present in the water as of last week.

According to the Tuesday memo, each State Center building will be shut down on a different day to flush the water systems again, in hopes of clearing the Legionella from the pipes. Employees will work remotely until the building they work in is reopened.

The building at 301 W. Preston street, housing DGS and other agencies, was closed Wednesday with employees scheduled to return Thursday. The building at 201 W. Preston, housing the Health Department, will close Thursday and reopen Friday. The last building, located on 1100 N. Eutaw St. and housing the Division of Labor and Industry, will close Friday and reopen Monday.

Eric Solomon, communications director for DGS, said the department “inherited” long-standing maintenance issues, and is working with the health department and other affected agencies to get the Legionella under control.

“The overall health and safety of employees is our top priority,” he said. “We appreciate the flexibility and patience from employees.”

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Even when the State Center buildings reopen on their scheduled dates, however, employees will still need to avoid drinking the facility water until tests prove that Legionella bacteria are no longer in the system.

“The results typically take 10-14 days due to the need to wait for culture growth,” the Tuesday DGS memo said.

AFSCME members gathered outside State Center Tuesday morning, before the release of the memo, to protest widespread maintenance issues across state facilities, citing a lack of investment from the administration of former Gov. Larry Hogan that created a “backlog” of repairs needed to buildings, among other factors.

The Legionella situation as the most recent example of the longstanding maintenance needs, according to the union’s Wednesday statement.

“Sadly, these building issues are not new and they’re going to continue to happen in buildings across the state given the massive maintenance backlog we’re facing,” the statement says. “We continue to ask state leaders to be transparent with us about how they’re addressing this most recent legionella outbreak.”