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Managing Legionella in Drinking Water Systems: Lessons from the 2024 Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak

Overview
Start date: Thursday, June 18, 2026
Start time: 12:00 PM EDT
Duration: 60 minutes

In February 2024, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) publicly linked Legionnaires’ Disease outbreak to the community water supply, identifying L. pneumophila as the primary cause. Unlike most U.S. outbreaks, this event was uniquely associated with a community water system supplied by groundwater—one that met regulatory standards and did not require chlorination.

Subsequent investigations detected L. pneumophila in premise plumbing across multiple institutional buildings, demonstrated the impact of chloramine disinfection in reducing disease cases, and underscored the critical role of collaboration between municipal water utilities and building owners in addressing bacterial growth and protecting public health.

Designed for drinking water utilities, building owners, and laboratories, this webinar will help you learn:
• How Legionella can survive and proliferate in groundwater-supplied systems and premise plumbing • The role of chloramine disinfection in controlling Legionella at both the system and building level • Key considerations for sampling strategies, result interpretation, and communication between utilities and labs.

Can’t attend live? Register for the webinar and we’ll send you a link to the recording so you can watch it at your convenience.

Speakers

Dr. Timothy LaPara

Professor, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geoengineering

University of Minnesota

Tim LaPara studies how drinking water and municipal wastewater systems can be designed and operated to better protect public health and the environment. His research focuses on two of the most urgent microbiological challenges today: the spread of antibiotic resistance and the persistence of waterborne pathogens, such as Legionella pneumophila.

LaPara’s lab investigates how treatment practices, water chemistry, and nutrient dynamics shape microbial growth in engineered systems, from wastewater treatment plants to community drinking water supplies. His recent work has helped demonstrate how strategic changes in water treatment, including the introduction of disinfection in groundwater systems, can directly prevent Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks, while his wastewater research focuses on developing treatment approaches that reduce the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.