Health
Dirksen Courthouse Juror Kitchen, Public Cafeteria Tested Positive for High Legionella Levels; CDC Says Building Has Widespread Problem
The Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago. (Hannah Meisel / Capitol News Illinois)
The water system at the Everett M. Dirksen U.S. Courthouse has widespread issues with legionella bacteria, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told court officials earlier this year.
WTTW News obtained information showing positive results for legionella bacteria across dozens of tests in 2023 and 2024.
While many of those tests merely showed reportable levels of legionella, some found fixtures with potentially dangerous levels of the bacteria — including in a kitchen used by jurors and in the building’s cafeteria, which is open to the public. The fixture in the juror kitchen was found to be contaminated last year, while two cafeteria fixtures tested positive as recently as July.
Last month, the Chicago Sun-Times first reported the legionella contamination at Dirksen, the Ralph H. Metcalfe Building and the John C. Kluczynski Federal Building and U.S. Post Office.
Information sent to employees at Dirksen obtained by WTTW News shows federal officials were so concerned about legionella in the Kluczynski building last year that for a time they shut off hot water to the first 17 floors.
The employee communications also demonstrate the persistent trouble officials have encountered flushing the potentially dangerous bacteria out of Dirksen’s water supply.
Legionella is spread through water systems and can cause a severe form of pneumonia called Legionnaires’ disease. While most healthy people don’t get sick from exposure, people over 50, immunocompromised people, current or former smokers, and people with lung diseases are more susceptible.
The 30-story Dirksen building houses the U.S. District and Bankruptcy courts for the Northern District of Illinois, as well as the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. While federal properties are managed by the General Services Administration, earlier this year, court officials paid for additional legionella testing and found nearly 40 locations that were positive, as well as five with higher than allowed levels of copper and lead.
The stubborn problem with the water system has left Northern District chief judge Virginia Kendall “completely frustrated,” she told the Sun-Times, noting that the GSA hasn’t fully tested the building and that it has yet to fix the ongoing problem.
The GSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The GSA has installed water coolers throughout the building and is continuing its program of flushing water fixtures – though flushing out the pipes is not a permanent solution, according to information sent to building employees.
Testing in Dirksen has been happening for at least a year, with consistent positive results in various locations throughout the building, including nine locations with potentially dangerous levels of the bacteria identified during testing in June and July of this year.
Despite concern about airborne legionella, the GSA told employees that it tested the Dirksen HVAC system last year and this year with negative results.
Given the widespread contamination, including in areas accessible by jurors and the general public, the GSA planned to replace certain fixtures and update its building water management plan. Court officials told Dirksen employees earlier this summer that they planned to investigate infrastructure and equipment throughout the building to determine how to proceed.
Contact Nick Blumberg: [email protected] | (773) 509-5434 | @ndblumberg
