Legionella Found at Antwerp Sports Center, Showers Temporarily Closed
Legionella bacteria have been detected in the water supply of the Wilrijkse Plein sports center in Antwerp, prompting authorities to temporarily take the facility’s showers out of service as a precautionary measure. The City of Antwerp confirmed the detection, while emphasizing that sports activities at the center can continue as normal.
What Visitors Need to Know
According to Het Laatste Nieuws, visitors can continue to use the changing rooms at the facility. Only the showers are temporarily inaccessible while the necessary measures are taken to address the contamination. Notably, no problem was found with the showers in the sports hall itself, which remain available as usual.
The sports center, located at the Wilrijkse Plein site in the Antwerp district and managed by Sporting A (the city’s sports service), hosts a range of activities including basketball, volleyball, indoor football, korfball, handball, and badminton in its main hall, as detailed on the City of Antwerp website.
Understanding Legionella
Legionella is a bacterium that occurs naturally in water environments and can cause legionellosis, also known as Legionnaires’ disease—a severe form of pneumonia. Infection occurs through the inhalation of contaminated water droplets, or aerosols. According to the Flemish Department of Care, the bacteria thrive in water temperatures between 25°C and 45°C and are commonly found in shower heads, bathroom faucets, sanitary pipes, water heaters, and cooling towers.
People over 65, smokers, and individuals with weakened immune systems face the highest risk of serious illness. Legionellosis is a reportable infectious disease in Flanders.
Regulatory Framework in Belgium
Under the Flemish Government’s Legionellabesluit (Legionella Decision of February 9, 2007), public locations where people may be exposed to aerosols are required to take preventive measures against Legionella. Sports clubs are classified as “moderate-risk facilities” under this legislation, as outlined by the Flemish Department of Care.
Moderate-risk facilities must maintain a Legionella management plan that includes contact details of the responsible person, a technical description of the sanitary circuit, a risk analysis, and preventive measures. The City of Antwerp provides a template for such plans and makes concession holders responsible for Legionella prevention in their infrastructure.
Threshold values for moderate-risk facilities include elevated vigilance at levels above 10,000 CFU/L of Legionella pneumophila, requiring a critical review of the management plan and additional measures. Notification to the Department of Care is required at levels above 100,000 CFU/L, as documented in the sanitary installations guidelines.
A Precedent in Antwerp
The precautionary closure of showers at Wilrijkse Plein follows a similar approach taken by the city in December 2012, when elevated Legionella levels were detected in the showers at Sporthal Het Rooi in Berchem. The city closed the showers preventively and installed special filters to guarantee Legionella-free water. The showers reopened by January 21, 2013, and the sports hall remained open throughout, with athletes able to use the changing rooms of the outdoor infrastructure, as reported at the time.
Heightened Awareness of Waterborne Bacteria
The detection comes at a time of increased scrutiny of bacteria in public buildings’ water systems. Just weeks earlier, on July 13, UAntwerpen scientists launched the ‘Leven in Leidingen’ research project, which studies bacteria in the drain pipes, sinks, and showers of 63 public buildings across Antwerp province, including sports halls. According to VRT NWS, the project—supported by the Province of Antwerp with €100,000 in funding—aims to map the microbial world in public buildings and understand its impact on health. Results are expected in May 2027.
The incident also follows a significant Legionella outbreak in Maasmechelen, Limburg, where nine infections were confirmed by late September 2025. The source was never definitively identified, with authorities describing the search as “looking for a needle in a haystack,” as VRT NWS reported.
What’s Next
No illnesses have been reported in connection with the Wilrijkse Plein detection, and the closure appears to be purely precautionary. The City of Antwerp has not yet disclosed the specific Legionella levels detected, how long the showers will remain closed, or what measures are being taken to address the contamination. Questions also remain about whether other sports facilities in Antwerp are being checked and whether the detection has been reported to the Department of Care as required by the Legionellabesluit.
Visitors to the Wilrijkse Plein sports center can continue their activities as usual, with the understanding that the showers will remain out of service until the necessary remediation measures are completed. The situation highlights the ongoing challenge of Legionella management in public facilities across Belgium—a challenge that the UAntwerpen research project is now working to better understand.