Recent research by Dr. Marc Edwards, a professor of civil engineering at Virginia Tech, has shown that OPPPs, like Legionella, are more likely to grow when water aging problems occur in water pipes leading to the tap.⁷ This finding provides an alert at a time when lower flow rates and alternative kinds of water supply systems that keep water in pipes longer are being considered as solutions to water shortages.

In other words, bad policy.

https://www.safeplumbing.org/advocacy/health-safety/legionella#:~:text=Cross%20connections%20between%20potable%20and,the%20potable%20water%20supply%20system.

• Excessive water age. The longer water sits in a system or piping in a system, the greater likelihood the water disinfectant will dissipate over time, leading to pathogen growth.

-Biofilm. When biofilm, a sticky substance created by bacteria, forms on the inside wall of water supply piping, it protects Legionella from heat and disinfectant.

-Lukewarm water. Legionella growth is enabled by lukewarm water temperatures, usually in the range of 77 degrees Fahrenheit to 108 degrees Fahrenheit.

-Dead legs. A “dead leg” is caused by no flow or rare flow of water in pipes. Insufficient disinfectant. Effective water disinfectant strategies are necessary to control Legionella in a water system. For example, chlorination is one method used by water districts to disinfect drinking water that provides a lasting residual disinfectant.

-Inadequate corrosion control. Corrosion can occur in system pipes, depending on several water quality variables, including disinfectants used, water temperature and pH levels. Improper corrosion control can create the ideal environment for Legionella growth.

-Cross connections. Cross connections between potable and non-potable water can introduce Legionella into the potable water supply system.

Best solution (apart from overhauling the entire infrastructure, is to heat the water in a cylnder at home, to above 108 degrees. One of those Zip units that boils water is good too. People tend to lower that HW temperature, because of a likelhood of scalding, and to prevent children from having burns. At 120 F water can scald a little, but is still safe to use, temperature-wise.

When I don’t empty my camelbak too long after using it a slime forms on the inside of the bladder. Disgusting...can only imagine decades old piping systems that haven’t been maintained in more decades...

Was this a bio attack from a foreign enemy or a domestic enemy?