The Arbor Grace Nursing home in Littlefield tested positive for legionella bacteria in its interior water system.
This bacteria can cause Legionnaires’ disease and can be fatal.
“We were notified by a facility in town that they tested positive for legionella bacteria. We promptly checked our system out,” said Eric Turpen, mayor of Littlefield.
Turpen says the city’s water supply is safe because the bacteria cannot live in a chlorinated water system.
“We are not concerned about our city of Littlefield’s water system at this time. It is chlorinated,” Turpen said.
Turpen believes this bacteria originated from something like a stagnant water heater.
“A lot of times it can be a water heater that’s older, temperatures not up there could be some scaling,” Turpen said. “It can be a habitat for this bacteria.”
Symptoms of Legionnaires disease include cough, shortness of breath, chest pain and nausea. However, Turpen said no one has shown symptoms of the disease.
“It is not an issue of drinking this water that is the problem, it’s when it’s aspirated, when it’s breathed, you know, hot shower breathing it in can be a problem,” Turpen said.
The TCEQ knows about the problem and is working with the nursing home to fix it.
