Manhattan NYCHA complex presumed free of arsenic, but likely ‘inaccurate’ Legionella traces detected in water

The water supply at the Riis Houses in Manhattan was declared free of arsenic late Wednesday — but the city is still discouraging residents at the public housing complex from using their taps because a weeks-old test has turned up potential traces of the Legionella bacteria.

The head-spinning update was delivered shortly before midnight by Charles Lutvak, a spokesman for Mayor Adams. Adding another confusing layer to the drinking water dilemma at Riis, Lutvak stressed that the “belated results” indicating Legionella are likely false.

“We suspect these results are inaccurate. Legionella cannot be spread through drinking water,” Lutvak said in a statement. “Additionally, we are actively reviewing our Legionella surveillance data and have found no reported or confirmed cases of Legionella at Riis Houses over the last 12 months.”

At a press conference Thursday morning, Adams told reporters that the city is presuming the Legionella traces are incorrect because they came from the same sequence of testing from last month that turned up the arsenic results that are now being put into question.

“We question that because that was the same lab that gave us the questionable results before,” Adams said.

Adams’ office declined to immediately name the independent contractor that discovered the potential Legionella bacteria.

Regardless, Adams said Riis residents should still not drink their tap water or use it for cooking while city health officials pore over the Legionella results. “When we are 100% comfortable that the water should be consumed by drinking, we will make that determination,” he said, adding that city workers continue to provide Riis residents with free bottled water in the interim.

Legionella, which most commonly develops in potable water and cooling systems, causes Legionnaire’s Disease, a severe form of pneumonia.

Arsenic, meantime, can be very dangerous if ingested. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, exposure to the chemical can cause brain damage, cancer, skin disorders, diabetes and high blood pressure.

The unnerving situation at Riis began last Friday, when news organization The City reported that New York City Housing Authority officials had known for two weeks — without alerting the public — that there were likely elevated levels of arsenic in the drinking water at the sprawling East Village complex. NYCHA has vehemently disputed that report, and Adams administration officials say the first confirmed indication of elevated levels of arsenic came last Thursday.

Since then, administration officials say the city has retested all points of delivery for water at Riis that the independent contractor hired by NYCHA had determined positive for arsenic. Results from the retests have all been negative, according to city officials.

In addition, Lutvak said the city has received negative results from tests conducted at an additional 140 sites at the Riis Houses over the past few days. As a result, Lutvak said the city “can conclude based on these test results that there is no discernable amount of arsenic in the water at Riis Houses.”

Questions still remain as to precisely when and why NYCHA first ordered arsenic testing at the Riis Houses.

At his Thursday press conference, Adams said the Housing Authority received complaints of “cloudy water” in mid-August. But he referred to NYCHA when asked to elaborate on how those complaints prompted suspicions of arsenic.

A NYCHA spokeswoman declined to comment Thursday.

NYCHA has a long history of hazardous conditions at its various developments across the city, including toxic mold and lead paint. Bart Schwartz, the court-appointed federal monitor of the public housing system, announced last week that he has launched an investigation into the situation at Riis.

Manhattan Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, whose district includes the Riis Houses, said he’s in talks with legislative leaders in Albany about holding oversight hearings in light of the Legionella development.

“This whole situation is at least befuddling, if not criminal,” Epstein told the Daily News. “I appreciate that the city is putting out information about this, but I don’t think we’ve gotten answers as to what got us here in the first place.”