TAZEWELL COUNTY ( 25News Now ) - The Tazewell County Jail has returned to normal operations after traces of Legionella bacteria were found in the water system last month.

Sheriff Lower said testing began after an inmate contracted Legionnaires’ disease and died on Oct. 6 . The inmate was identified as James Pate, a 94-year-old man.

Officials flushed and treated the water system, installed medical-grade filters, and brought in bottled water with portable toilets during the cleanup process.

Sheriff Lower said the bacteria originated from unused pipes inside the building, not from the city’s water supply.

“I am happy to say we are back to business as usual as of Monday. We have been testing every two weeks, and we are back to an acceptable level, which is very small,” Lower said.

The

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