Oakland County sheriff’s administration building reopened Tuesday after the water system, which tested positive for Legionella bacteria, was disinfected and filters added to faucets.

The water was tested after a county custodian was diagnosed with Legionnaire’s disease, a bacterial form of pneumonia transmitted in air droplets or mist. The Legionella bacteria can develop in infrequently used water fountains and air conditioning systems, among other sites.

People who contract Legionnaire’s disease or the less-severe Pontiac fever, also caused by the Legionella bacteria, are not contagious.

The sheriff’s administration building was closed on Friday and Monday so the water system could be flushed with chlorine and sterile filters installed on all faucets, according to county officials.

Four people have died from Legionnaire’s disease in Oakland County so far this year, Mullan said. County officials have not said if any had connections to county buildings.

One person, whose current medical status has not been made public by county officials, was diagnosed in April and told health officials they had visited the county courthouse at 1200 N. Telegraph Road in Pontiac.

Water tests are underway at the courthouse.

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman Lynn Sutfin said the agency is working with the county’s health division to investigate the outbreak.

She said it includes providing “epidemiology and industrial hygiene support, such as what information and specimens to collect, where water system testing should be done, review of documents such as water management plans, all in accordance with our established response protocols.”

The state uses a 27-page document and other guidelines developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control for minimizing the risk of Legionella in water systems. Guidelines call for a dedicated team to document each building’s water systems to identify low-use areas. Other guidelines include:

• Set standards for water flow and stagnation; schedule routine tests for bacteria; regularly flush water fountains, sinks, eye-wash stations and emergency showers to replace stagnant water

•  Monitor the controls

•  Have a clear response when controls fall below standards

•  Document all activities.

The county does not have a full-time industrial hygienist – a person responsible for workplace inspections for health and safety and recommending sanitizing methods or improvements.

The county does have an industrial hygiene consultant, Mullan said. That consultant is part of the county’s workplace safety team, he said.

The Oakland Press has requested the county’s plan for testing, maintaining and sanitizing drinking water but that information was not provided by deadline.

Statewide between 2019 and this year, 2,716 people have been diagnosed with Legionnaire’s disease, averaging 452 per year.

Michigan Department of Health & Human Services’ Vital Records and Health Statistics division tracks residents’ causes of death, including Legionnaire’s disease.

In 2020, Oakland County had four of the state’s 27 Legionnaire’s deaths. The county had one death in 2021 when there were 35 statewide and in 2022 when 18 people died from the disease.

In 2023, the county reported nine deaths, the same number as Wayne County, when there were 24 deaths statewide. Of the state’s nine deaths last year, Oakland County had four.

So far this year, 21 people have died of the disease, four in Oakland County, second to 16 in Wayne County.

No details are being released on the county’s four deaths this year.

“We cannot discuss individual cases due to HIPPA,” Mullan said, referring to the 1996 federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act that prevents certain health information from being publicly disclosed.