Oakland County Courthouse slated to reopen Monday after Legionella bacteria testing
Remediation steps such as flushing water lines and installing new filters are taking place at the Oakland County Courthouse in Pontiac, Michigan.
These steps are among those that the Oakland County Facilities Management Division said it has taken in response to the detection of Legionella bacteria at four locations within the courthouse building. Specifically, those locations were two bathroom areas and two sinks in the cafeteria.
The building houses the Sixth District Court and Oakland County Probate Court.
If all goes as planned, regular operations will resume at the building on Jan. 5.
Court officials said they learned of the bacteria test results on Dec. 26 and took steps to ensure the "availability of the Courts and access for court users, while protecting the welfare of all users of the Courthouse."
The testing came about after a visitor to the courthouse tested positive for Legionnaires' disease.
One of the first remediation steps was to install medical-grade filters, county officials said. All public restrooms in the Tower area now have those filters installed or in some cases, a sink has been taken out of service. All public water fountains in the Tower have been taken out of service
The entire water system at the courthouse has been flushed, and water testing has been ongoing.
In late November, officials detected Legionella at the Oakland County Sheriff's Office administration building. A test was ordered for the administration building after a custodial employee tested positive for Legionnaires' Disease.
The Legionella bacteria are mostly found in man-made and natural water systems and can spread through drinking contaminated water or breathing in water droplets in the air. It does not spread from person to person.
Symptoms of Legionnaires' include cough, fever, headaches, muscle aches and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other symptoms include confusion, diarrhea and nausea.