Some of the disgusting stuff cleaners find when they check NY water

Pollen, dirt, moss, algae and dead birds are some of the things cleaning crews encounter when cleaning New York City's ubiquitous rooftop water-cooling towers, according to representatives of companies doing such dirty work.

“Whatever’s in the air really gets pulled into” the systems, said Stanley Young, field supervisor for Donnelly Mechanical, a New York-based heating, ventilation and air conditioning construction and maintenance company. “Because these towers have fans, and it’s drawing outside air into it.”

Building water-cooling systems – which New Yorkers take for granted under ordinary circumstances – are in the spotlight as New York City grapples with a cluster of Legionnaires’ disease, a severe pneumonia whose cause has long been linked to water droplets or vapors emanating from