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<\/p>\nALPHABET CITY, Manhattan (WABC) — Residents at a building on the Lower East Side say they have not been taking showers for a month, and say they are getting little to no guidance from the Department of Health.<\/p>\n
For resident Dana Cruz, preparing a bath for her 8-year-old son might as well be like preparing a four-course meal.<\/p>\n
“Because I’m using cold water in the bathtub. I have to boil… get these to boiling point just to make them warm enough that my son will be screaming that he’s in a freezing ice bath,” Cruz said.<\/p>\n
The department of health is however not advising residents to boil water due to Legionella.<\/p>\n
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Cruz is the Tenant’s Association president at the Haven Plaza in Alphabet City, where all four residential towers, 371 units in all, have been impacted for about a month, but residents say they’ve had issues with their plumbing for many years.<\/p>\n
“It’s the Legionella bacteria that’s the biggest problem because you cannot shower,” said resident Janet Sibarium.<\/p>\n
Catholic Homes owns the property, while Wavecrest Management manages it.<\/p>\n
In a joint statement, they said, “Following the second case… property management began a full testing and remediation program as required by City guidelines once there have been two cases within a one-year period. This has included inspections and now remediation, which will begin July 28.”<\/p>\n
The Department of Health says a resident tested positive for Legionnaires’ in May of 2025. A second case was confirmed this past May, which triggered the city to step in.<\/p>\n
The city inspects cooling towers, but it does not inspect plumbing systems.<\/p>\n
The Department of Health released the following statement:<\/p>\n
“Haven Plaza’s water system remains under evaluation by the NYC Health Department at this time. Testing results after treatment must show that the bacteria is under control before our evaluation is concluded. People who are age 50 or older, smoke, vape, or have chronic lung disease or a weakened immune system are still advised to take extra precautions to limit their exposure to water vapor, including to take baths instead of showers.”<\/p>\n
Some residents believe that’s not enough.<\/p>\n
“Department of Health where are you? We need you to be putting pressure on Wavecrest,” said resident Gwen Nemcek. “We need Wavecrest to realize this is affecting everybody’s lives here. Do you even care?”<\/p>\n
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