Schulman also said that there was roughly $5.1 million in outstanding cooling tower violation balances, including about $1.5 million tied to “public health hazard” violations, according to data from the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings.
“Tragically, none of this reporting led to aggressive enforcement prior to the cluster in 2026,” Schulman said.
Upper East Side Councilmember and Speaker Julie Menin said that enforcement surged after July 2, when the outbreak started on the Upper East Side, but that there was almost no enforcement in the first half of 2026.
“What I’m concerned about is, according to reports, the department issued no violations in the three zip codes covering the Upper East Side in January, March, May, and June of this year,” Menin said.
New York City Health Commissioner Alister Martin testifies at City Council’s oversight hearing. (John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit)
Alister Martin, the New York City health commissioner, emphasized that his department mobilized and tested all 183 cooling towers in the zip codes, disinfecting 83 that tested positive for Legionella on a PCR test while waiting for bacterial culture testing to be completed.