Legionella Expert Tim Keane

Mr. Keane is retained in complex Legionnaires’ disease litigation where alleged failures in engineering design, system operation, or water management programs are at issue. He performs forensic analyses using data evaluation, field inspection, review of system schematics, interpretation of water quality sampling results, and reconstruction of operational history.

Tim Keane is an engineer and an internationally recognized authority on the control, mitigation, and forensic investigation of Legionella in building and industrial water systems, with more than 40 years of combined experience spanning engineering, construction, facility operations, water treatment, and Legionella risk management.

What distinguishes Mr. Keane is his hands-on field experience across the full lifecycle of water systems—including design, construction, commissioning, operation, maintenance, and failure analysis—combined with more than 25 years leading Legionella outbreak investigations, root cause determinations, and remediation efforts.

His experience includes:

• Building engineering, construction, and facility operations/management (1977–1987)
• Water treatment industry leadership and technical operations (1987–2000)
• Legionella consulting, outbreak response, and water management program development (2000–present)

Mr. Keane has led or played key roles in major public health outbreak investigations, including:

• Rapid City, South Dakota (2005): Led a statewide community outbreak field investigation under contract with the South Dakota Department of Health
• Flint, Michigan (2016): Participated in state-led evaluation of Legionella risk in residential water systems
• Quincy Veterans’ Home, Illinois (2015–2018): Led the engineering investigation and development of corrective actions for a multi-year Legionnaires’ disease outbreak

He has direct field experience investigating and remediating Legionella in:

• Hospitals and long-term care facilities
• Hotels, apartment complexes, and large residential buildings
• Industrial and municipal water systems
• Large-scale facilities including casinos and fairgrounds

Mr. Keane was an original voting member and subcommittee participant in the development of ASHRAE Standard 188, contributing from initial committee work in 2005 through publication of the 2015 and 2018 standards. He also contributed to ASHRAE Guideline 12 and other industry guidance and has coauthored publications with organizations including AWWA, ASPE, and IAPMO.

He is frequently engaged to:

• Perform root cause analysis of Legionella outbreaks
• Evaluate standard of care and regulatory compliance
• Assess engineering design and operational deficiencies
• Provide expert testimony and litigation support

Mr. Keane has presented to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and has trained public health officials and industry professionals nationwide on Legionella risk management and water system safety.