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Months without showers: Harlem building’s residents stuck in Legionella limbo.
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Feb 4, 2026
Modified Feb 4, 2026
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By
Catalina Gonella
Published Feb 4, 2026
Modified Feb 4, 2026
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Many residents of one of New York City's largest apartment buildings have been avoiding showers for over a month. The city Department of Health has advised them that baths are safer. If necessary, a bucket of water or a hose will do, too.
Those are some of the precautions that have been recommended for the thousands of residents of 3333 Broadway towers A and B in Harlem — first after city health officials alerted them early last month that two cases of Legionnaires' disease had been confirmed in the building, and then after testing found the presence of Legionella bacteria in their water supply last weekend.
Health officials say the building management will now have to hire a water management team to eventually perform a remediation of the water system, and then test again to see if the treatment was effective.
That could take several months or longer, depending on the scope and complexity of the building’s water system, according to the health department.
In the meantime, residents of the towers say they're left with uncertainty and anxiety — and the inconvenience of not being able to shower.
“It is messing with my mental state because every day I'm waking up, if I have a little cough or a little ache, I'm thinking, ‘Oh my God, did I catch this?’” Matt Reid said.
Legionella bacteria can cause Legionnaires' disease, a serious form of pneumonia that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says is fatal in about in 10% of cases overall, but is treatable with antibiotics.
Legionnaires' is a particular risk for older and immunocompromised people. Health officials say between 200 and 700 people are diagnosed in the city every year.
When two or more people test positive in a building over a 12-month span, that kicks off an investigation, which is how health officials found Legionella in the 3333 Broadway towers.
An update to residents this week informed them that “the risk of getting sick from a building’s water system is very low.” And health officials say the Legionella in the Broadway towers isn't tied to the Harlem Legionnaires’ outbreak that sickened more than 100 people and killed seven last year.
Those cases were linked to cooling towers, which spread water vapor over larger areas. Health officials say the Legionella at 3333 Broadway is confined to the towers’ shared water system, where it wouldn’t be expected to spread throughout the community.
Towers A and B are part of a group of five connected buildings, which do not all share the same water supply. Some residents of other towers say they’re concerned about their own water supply but have been told it won’t be tested unless cases are confirmed in those buildings.
Still, the recent Harlem outbreak is fresh in the minds of 3333 Broadway’s residents.
“It's still very concerning because there were a number of deaths, even just recently here in Harlem because of this, and we do have a large population of seniors here in the building,” said Stephanie Geyer, who lives in another one of the towers. “Even with the guidance, no, I don't think that people fully feel safe.”
There’s also been confusion among some residents about what is and what isn't safe to do. Some residents said they came away from initial interactions with the Department of Health under the impression they were supposed to take cold baths or showers. A statement from City Council Majority Leader Shaun Abreu reflected that misunderstanding as well.
But the health department confirmed that’s not the case. In guidance it said was shared with residents, the agency said baths filled slowly regardless of temperature are OK. Hot or cold showers should be avoided because of the potential for mist, the guidance says. The guidance says also residents without bathtubs can use shower hoses with the heads removed or buckets of water, though a health department spokesperson clarified all the affected apartments have tubs.
The guidance also tells residents they can drink cold water from the tap, but when washing their hands, they should let it flow slowly to avoid mist. They’re told to start with cold water when heating water for tea, coffee or cooking.
”It's been hard, especially if you have a young child. I have a young child, so it's kind of hard for me to give my child a lukewarm bath,” Reid said. “It's customary for us to turn the water hot and get in the shower, so at times I have to catch myself and say, ‘Oh no, I can't do this.'"
Geyer said that at a meeting with building management and health officials on Tuesday night several residents asked for monetary compensation since they had been buying bottled water throughout the last few weeks. She said they were denied.
Kari Hegarty, a spokesperson for 3333 Broadway’s management company, said it was committed to communicating proper guidance to its tenants.
“This is obviously not the result we were hoping for, but we have shifted into action to begin the treatment and remediation process carefully prescribed by the [health] department,” she said. “We continue to fully comply with their processes.”
Clarification: This story has been updated to clarify that all affected apartments have bathtubs, according to the city health department.
Tagged
Health and Science
Legionnaires disease
harlem
manhattan
new york city
Catalina Gonella
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