Westmoreland Manor Legionella treatment cost nears $24K

The county spent nearly $24,000 to combat Legionella bacteria since late January, after it was discovered in the water system of Westmoreland Manor.

Officials said Monday a private company was hired to flush the water systems at the county-owned nursing home in Hempfield with chlorine, while additional expenses included the purchase of bottled water for residents to drink and to use for hygiene.

“Everything has gone smoothly,” said Westmoreland County Board of Commissioners Chairman Sean Kertes.

Remediation efforts concluded late last week and tests of the facility’s water were sent to a local lab for analysis. Final results are not expected until the end of this week or early next week, said county Solicitor Melissa Guiddy.

County officials were notified by the state health department on Jan. 24 that a current or former resident was diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease — a severe form of pneumonia — and ordered that no water from the Manor’s system was to be consumed or used for bathing or cleaning indefinitely.

Preliminary and secondary testing confirmed the presence of the Legionella bacteria in the water, officials said.

“We tested six areas and found three with the … bacteria,” said Commissioner Doug Chew.

A first attempt to remove the bacteria by flushing the water system at high temperatures proved unsuccessful.

As a result, the county hired a private firm to flush the system with chlorine in an attempt to kill the bacteria. Guiddy said the cleanup work is expected to cost $14,600 and another $2,100 was allocated to pay for chemicals used in the remediation.

The 400-bed Manor has continued to operate during the testing and remediation processes.

For the first four days of the crisis, Chew said the facility relied on bottled water it had in storage. Guiddy said another $7,000 of bottled and jugged water has been purchased.

Meanwhile, Kertes said there have been no additional Legionella-related illnesses reported.

Tests of the water systems at neighboring facilities, including the Westmoreland County Prison, Regional Youth Services Center and the county’s forensics building, are expected to be completed in the next couple of weeks.

Chew said he’s confident Manor residents and staff are in no danger.

“I think we did our due diligence. We’re always concerned for our residents,” Chew said.