Oakland County says Legionella reports tied to county buildings are limited; water‑management plan being phased in

Oakland County risk management staff told commissioners that recent Legionella testing has not produced additional reports of illness connected to county buildings and that a phased water‑management plan is underway.

Diana McBroom, introduced to the board as head of risk management, said county protocols and work with consultant Figenix have reduced risks and that the health department has not received new reports implicating county facilities. "Facts are facts, and they don't lie," McBroom said, summarizing her assessment of testing and monitoring.

McBroom outlined a multi‑phase process in which Figenix teams visit buildings to build risk‑profile dashboards. She said Court Tower and Building 38 East are in the first phase, Children's Village and the water park have been added to an early phase, and the overall program will be completed in roughly four to five months. McBroom said first‑phase dashboards should be fully built out in about four weeks and that staff will continue daily water‑parameter testing at at‑risk sites.

The presentation noted that routine hydrant flushing was postponed at the request of Water Resources because of broader area water emergencies; when conditions permit, the county will resume more aggressive flushing and internal building flushing as part of preventive maintenance.

Commissioner Spence asked for lessons learned and longer‑term corrective actions; McBroom emphasized preventive maintenance, attention to changes in building usage (for example, reduced occupancy during COVID), and improved communication. A commissioner requested a monthly report tracking progress; McBroom said she would share dashboards and a cadence of work in next month’s report and provide a fuller final plan at the end of the phased rollout.

Why it matters: County‑owned buildings serve courts, public services and community programs; a clear plan for testing and routine preventive work can reduce risk for staff, visitors and the public. The board recorded no additional illness reports linked to county buildings and directed staff to keep commissioners updated as risk dashboards come online.

Next steps: McBroom said staff will provide monthly updates and dashboard access as phases are completed and will test cooling towers and other systems when usage increases with warmer weather.