New Jersey Takes Additional Steps To Help Prevent Legionnaires' Disease

WASHINGTON, July 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Alliance to Prevent Legionnaires' Disease (APLD) applauds the New Jersey Legislature and Governor Phil Murphy's for allocating $1.25 million in new funding in the state's recently approved Fiscal Year 2026 Budget to address the health risks from the waterborne bacteria commonly found in community water systems that can cause the bacterial pneumonia known as Legionnaires' disease.

"We applaud Governor Murphy for requesting an additional $750,000 to fund the development of a water supply disruption tracking system and the development of robust public water distribution system improvements in the Department of Environmental Protection and $500,000 in the Department of Health for a Legionnaires' disease response team to ensure that the root source in our water supply of all cases of the disease are appropriately investigated and points of exposure are remediated," said APLD Board member Daryn Cline. "We are grateful for the Legislature's recognition of the immense need for these resources and look forward to the continued implementation of the state's new law focused on Legionnaires' disease prevention."

New Jersey's nation-leading law, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz and Assemblywoman Shanique Speight, was signed by Governor Murphy last September and will implement new "source to tap" protections against Legionnaires' disease.

According to Marcy Savage, APLD's Policy and Government Relations, "This funding will ensure that key elements of the new law are implemented and enforced, including investigations of all cases of Legionnaires' disease, addressing the management of water to minimize Legionella bacteria from its source to its delivery to residents, providing public notification of water system disruptions that can elevate bacterial risks, providing residents and building owners with guidance on how to mitigate risks, and requiring public health agencies to offer in-home testing to all residents who contract Legionnaires' disease. The $1.25 million in new funding will help safeguard all New Jerseyans and make sure the state's most at-risk residents can make informed decisions on water use."

New Jersey reports approximately 250-350 cases of Legionnaires' disease annually and experienced multiple clusters with significant patient numbers and tragic deaths throughout the state in recent years. 

For more information, visit the Alliance's website: https://preventlegionnaires.org.

SOURCE Prevent Legionnaires'