Twelve people were reportedly dead due to a fatal Legionnaires Disease outbreak in the Illinois Veterans Home.

In a report by the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch, apart from the 12 reported dead, dozens also appeared to be sick due to the disease spread by an aging water system at a 129-year-old facility that lacked several safety standards.

The Centers for Disease Control report was released to the Associated Press through a public records request.

The CDC health specialists who spent nearly two weeks at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy in late August and September reported an "extensive and poorly understood water distribution system" and a "general lack of understanding of water system details" pertinent to the prevention and/or control of the bacteria, which causes a severe form of pneumonia.

It was also reported that the state is pursuing a $4.8 million project to replace the water system and make other emergency repairs at the state's oldest and largest home for veterans and their spouses, which sits along the Mississippi River.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported the many findings of the CDC, including the maintenance of a cooling tower built in 2012 to help air-condition the dozens of buildings on the 210-acre campus was reported to have not met the industry standards for containing Legionnaires.

A pressure valve failure inside the main water tower in early September -- at the height of the outbreak -- potentially led to water sitting stagnant "for an unspecified period of time," increasing the risks of contamination.

There was an absence of electronic medical records for residents of the long-term care facility, nearly half of whom suffer from dementia, which the CDC said hinders the ability to quickly track health patterns, trends and shifts.

According to Food Poisoning Bulletin, the veterans' home is now replacing its water system after at least 45 people living in that facility got the disease. Legionnaire's Disease bacteria, or Legionella, lives and grows in water systems, especially in buildings that are old and moldy.

These bacteria are hard to kill and can thrive for years in a system until an outbreak occurs. What's more, the bacteria is released in vapor or mist from showers, fountains, air conditioning units, cooling towers, HVAC units, hot tubs and other water systems.

And when people, especially those in high risk groups, breathe in the vapor, they have an increased risk of getting sick.

Officials with the Illinois Department of Veterans Affair did not immediately made a response to a request for comment last Thursday.