Months before the Virginia Department of Health began investigating an increase in cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Chesterfield, the contractor hired to service HVAC units at county schools repeatedly alerted school officials about significant maintenance problems and recommended testing for Legionella bacteria, documents show.
The school system has come under fire in recent weeks after cooling towers at three Chesterfield schools – Greenfield Elementary, Midlothian Middle and Falling Creek Middle – tested positive for Legionella, a strain of bacteria known to cause Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia.
Following confirmation of the positive test at Greenfield, the Observer obtained monthly reports submitted by Water Chemistry Inc., the Roanoke-based company that performs routine service of HVAC units for the county and school system, through a Freedom of Information Act request.