City allocates $13m and requires 31-day cooling tower testing

Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks have been linked to cooling towers. In August 2025 seven people died and more than 100 became ill in Harlem; this summer the Upper East Side reported 94 cases, at least 79 hospitalisations and 11 deaths.

The city announced an additional $13m for cooling tower inspections in fiscal 2027, funding to hire 23 water ecologists, and a requirement for owners to test for legionella every 31 days while towers operate. The governor approved biannual certifications and higher penalties for violations causing serious illness or death.

Inspections had fallen: the health department inspected 1,167 towers in the first six months of 2025, compared with 3,190 in the same period in 2017. The new funding and staffing aim to reverse that decline.

Preventive steps include regular cleaning, disinfection, routine water testing and reporting positives to the health department. Experts said the tools exist and, when applied rigorously, can substantially reduce risk.

Officials warned limits remain: the city faces a projected $8.8bn budget gap for fiscal 2028, and some experts questioned whether the penalties are high enough.