D.C. hospital enters 4th week without running water after bacteria treatment fails

WASHINGTON (ABC7) — Nearly four weeks after potentially deadly bacteria was found in the water at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Southeast Washington, the psychiatric hospital is still without useable running water.

Patients and staff are being forced to use bottled water for drinking, cooking, handwashing and showering. Since September 27, 54,288 bottles of water and 3,160 bottles of 5-gallon jugs have been used.

The Department of Behavioral Health oversees St. Elizabeths. After an initial cleaning of the water system failed to kill off legionella bacteria, a second “super chlorination took place over the weekend,” a spokesperson told ABC7 News via email. The hospital hopes to resume normal operation by the end of the week after a final test shows the water is safe to use.

Routine water testing on September 26 detected two types of bacteria including legionella. Legionella can cause Legionnaires Disease which is a type of pneumonia that can be fatal for people with compromised immune systems.

“We thought that it was going to be solved by this time and it wasn’t because additional bacteria was found,” said Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent Gray.

Bottled water and 22 portable showers have been used for nearly four weeks.

“Let’s think about this for a second. Staff has to take patients outside and wait in line and shower like that?” said Monica Hopkins, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia.

Two weeks after the initial test, the American Civil Liberties Union called for the more than 270 patients to be transferred to other local health facilities until the water problem is fixed.

“We haven’t seen any conditions that the patients should be moved and we haven’t had complaint from the patients,” said Gray.

Hopkins said the District has a duty of care to the patients.

“If this was you in your house, you would make other arrangements,” she said.

“There is no need to disrupt the patients as their personal needs are being met and their mental health treatment is continuing,” said a Department of Behavioral Health spokesperson. “Moving patients could be disruptive to their mental state.”

Councilmember Gray said he is requesting a full report from the Department of Behavioral Health to explain what happened.

“On what led to this, the extent to which we know that, and what is the likely hood of this occurring again,” he explained.

Gray will also hold a DBH Public Oversight Hearing on Nov. 20 at 5:30 p.m. at the Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church where residents can ask questions about the psychiatric hospital and address the head of DBH.