PITTSBURGH — Following recent testing at Pittsburgh’s State Correctional Institution, officials discovered higher than acceptable levels of Legionella within the water cooling tower and in the medical building.
"The Department of Corrections has been confronted with this issue at various prisons over the past years," Corrections Secretary John Wetzel said. "We take this matter seriously and are being proactive in our response to the water test results."
Eradication of Legionella is underway at the SCI.
As a proactive measure, prison officials have restricted employees and inmates from drinking water and will provide bottled water for drinking.
Officials said while water testing has always been conducted at the prison, such tests have been increased in frequency and water treatment will continue as testing indicates.
The DOC is working closely with the Pennsylvania Department of Health and following their guidance.
Legionella is not spread person-to-person, so isolation and quarantine are not necessary, officials said.
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