NYC tenants protest months-long shower ban after Legionella found in building water

Haven Plaza, a 1960s-era apartment complex in Alphabet City, has left its 371 residents without usable showers for nearly two months after tests revealed Legionella bacteria in the water supply. Two tenants fell ill with Legionnaires’ disease, one in May 2025 and another in May 2026, and city health officials have alternately advised bathing with hoses, boiling water, or avoiding showers altogether. Management firms Catholic Home of New York and Wavecrest Management have been accused of delaying mobile shower units, rent relief, and drinking water provision, while a remediation plan involving water shut-offs and a 30-day treatment began only this week.

The situation coincided with a separate outbreak on the Upper East Side and with Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s high-profile actions elsewhere, prompting a Thursday rally where tenants and officials such as Jumaane Williams, Harvey Epstein, and Brad Hoylman-Sigal demanded urgent action. The city health department has approved the remediation plan, but residents remain uncertain about the timeline, chemicals, and vendors involved. The protest highlighted broader concerns that lower-income neighborhoods receive delayed attention compared to more affluent parts of the city.