JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
Joint Base San Antonio leadership is temporarily relocating more than 80 residents and staff from the Liberty Barracks at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston to mitigate legionella bacteria, which was discovered in unoccupied rooms during routine water testing.
The service members, from Brooke Army Medical Center’s Soldier Recovery Unit, are temporarily moving to other barracks and dorms across JBSA. Additionally, the Behavioral Health Clinic within Liberty Barracks will be temporarily relocating; patients will be contacted regarding alternate arrangements. Behavioral health appointments at other locations will not be affected.
There have been no known cases of Legionnaire’s disease or other legionella-based infections among barracks residents.
“Our routine testing program worked as intended – we identified an issue and are working toward remediation,” said Brig. Gen. Caroline Miller, the JBSA and 502nd Air Base Wing commander. “We’ll continue to work with our partners at BAMC to make this temporary relocation as easy as possible for our service members.”
Once Liberty Barracks is completely vacated, the building will be treated through a process known as super-chlorination. After 72 hours, JBSA civil engineer and public health personnel will assess the building’s safety, including additional sampling for legionella bacteria and tests for residual chlorine before permitting the soldiers to move back in.
Legionella bacteria are not spread from person to person; it is transmitted by breathing in a mist or vapor (small droplets of water in the air) that contains the bacteria. According to the CDC, there is a low risk of Legionnaires' disease for most healthy people. For more information on Legionella, visit https://www.cdc.gov/legionella/index.html.