BALTIMORE, MD (Monday, December 30, 2024) - Today, the City of Baltimore announced that downtown City municipal buildings, including Baltimore City Hall at 100 Holliday Street, the Abel Wolman Municipal Building at 200 Holliday Street, and the Benton Building at 401 E. Fayette Street, have been reopened for full service as of Monday, December 30, 2024.

Mitigation efforts, including flushing and chlorination treatments, were successfully completed in all three buildings over the weekend following the discovery of elevated levels of legionella bacteria in City Hall and the Abel Wolman building.

The City has taken these steps, including the precautionary testing that discovered the elevated levels and the robust mitigation efforts, out of an abundance of caution. Friday's closure was caused by the intrusive nature of the mitigation efforts, not due to any public health or safety concern.

The City will continue to conduct precautionary testing in city-owned facilities across Baltimore, as needed. The discovery of elevated legionella bacteria in these municipal buildings follows similar discoveries in the City's courthouses and in state government facilities at State Center. Since then, mitigation efforts have been completed in those buildings and they have since reopened.

Minimal Impact on Broader Water Distribution System
The City's public distribution system, like most municipal systems, is designed to keep water in constant motion and includes chemicals - namely chlorine - specifically designed to prevent bacteria growth, making the typical conditions for the presence of legionella bacteria unlikely. While there is no requirement for a public water system to test for legionella, out of an abundance of caution, DPW has been conducting tests on the level of chlorine in the system in the impacted areas for the past several weeks in an effort to entirely rule out concern about the City's system. The chlorine levels signify whether legionella can grow. So far, the chlorine residual levels in the surrounding areas have been tested and are sufficient.

Current Status of Health Concerns
The Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) has not received any reports of confirmed cases of Legionnaires' disease associated with the discovered presence of elevated levels of legionella bacteria in some government buildings. BCHD will continue to monitor for relevant reports and work in coordination with the Maryland Department of Health to address any concerns as they arise.

Additional Background on Legionella Bacteria & Related Health Concerns
Legionella is a bacterium that can be found in many natural and man-made water systems. The most common way for someone to get sick is by breathing in small droplets of water contaminated with legionella that is sprayed in the air (i.e. water mist or vapor). Most healthy people exposed to legionella do not get sick.

Individuals who do get sick experience symptoms including cough, fever, headache, muscle aches, and shortness of breath. If you are experiencing symptoms of pneumonia (cough, fever, shortness of breath, chest pain), contact your health care provider. There are many forms of pneumonia, and respiratory infections with symptoms that overlap with pneumonia. Your health care provider can help determine the cause of your symptoms. Urine tests or sputum tests are the best tests to diagnose Legionnaires' disease. Note that blood tests are usually not as helpful in diagnosing Legionnaires' disease.