U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart Public Affairs
Information provided by Directorate of Public Works
Yesterday afternoon, May 10, U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart staff received results of Legionella testing that was conducted at the end of April. The results of the tests found that one residential building at Patch Barracks exceeded a limit of 10,000 colony-forming units, which presents a potential health risk to the people living there.
The potential health risk is largely limited to when hot water containing Legionella bacteria vaporizes and is inhaled, typical of what happens when a person showers. Residents can still use the water for cooking and other household activities without risk.
Staff from the Garrison’s Directorate of Public Works (DPW) promptly notified residents of the test results immediately and issued new showerheads to all affected residents to mitigate the impacts. The showerheads are equipped with an anti-Legionella filter that removes the bacteria.
Additionally, staff will flush lines in the building, raising water temperature to kill the bacteria. Finally, DPW staff will conduct additional testing to determine the effectiveness of the corrective actions.
The test results also found four additional buildings on Patch and five additional buildings at Panzer Kaserne had levels exceeding 100 colony-forming units in the water. While the water in those buildings doesn’t pose a health risk to people, DPW will flush those systems in accordance with its standard mitigation procedures.
The DPW conducts Legionella testing in accordance with German laws aimed at eliminating Legionella bacteria, which is linked to several respiratory ailments.
More information on Legionella testing is available in the “Drinking Water Program” section of the DPW page at the garrison website: https://home.army.mil/stuttgart/index.php/my-garrison/all-services/DPW.
