Tracing Legionella on the Upper East Side: a map of cooling towers

Gothamist mapped 203 active cooling towers in Carnegie Hill/Yorkville—the outbreak zone—and found the health department has identified 160 in the same area. About 55% of towers had Legionella test results filed in 2026, with roughly half not inspected for more than a year, mirroring citywide inspection gaps. Mayor Zohran Mamdani pledged to publish the locations of towers testing positive as results become available. Officials aim to inspect all nearly 5,000 towers citywide at least once annually, but staffing shortages hinder progress. The outbreak has sickened 36 people with 22 hospitalized; cooling towers can spread Legionella via mist, so residents with flu-like symptoms near affected towers should seek medical care.