As building water systems become more complex and facility building professionals work to save water, the risk for Legionella increases. Large residential and mixed-use buildings often use a large hot water loop to provide direct hot water. When using less water, the water gets older and the chlorine put in by the city isn’t as effective. As the infrastructure ages, concerns grow and issues can compound.
With heightened awareness around sanitization and respiratory health, it is important to consider your water system in your safety plan. Educate your teams in current water chemistry hygiene methods.
Localized Legionella regulations are often implemented following an outbreak. Many questions have been raised regarding the effectiveness of such regulations. We used the power of our data management platform to attempt to answer these questions.
KEY INSIGHT: Legionella is a bacteria that can cause diseases including Legionella pneumonia, more commonly known as Legionnaire’s disease, and Pontiac fever. It appears in natural water environments, including rivers and lakes, and artificial water environments, including cooling towers and fountains.
Legionella risk mitigation measures have received more press coverage in recent years. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the incidence rate has increased significantly.
Legionella outbreaks in various North American geographies have resulted in localized legislation and regulations. One example of this occurred in Quebec City after a Legionella outbreak in 2012 that resulted in 180 confirmed cases. . Owners must now document the mechanical maintenance program as well as their water treatment program. Since July 2014, the regulation also requires Legionella sampling of cooling towers on a 30-day interval basis.
Outside of Quebec City, regulations were implemented after similar Legionella outbreaks in the 2010s across the United States in places including Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota
These changes were large hurdles to adapt to and overcome but these regulatory changes offered an opportunity to collect a significant amount of data on cooling water programs and the presence of Legionella bacteria in cooling systems. Many Legionella samples were collected during the years following these outbreaks.
At a glance, the results indicated that the regulatory changes were having a positive impact on field results. These strong improvements in results were achieved without changing the water treatment programs, but rather by raising awareness and accountability.
The data over the past years has indicated that measuring the performance of the water treatment program through Legionella sampling created a willingness to improve these programs. Drawing on lessons from organizational behavior, regulations can have an impact on behavior through applying the 5 A’s:
Increased regulations force assessments through legislated sampling requirements. This create a sense of awareness and accountability from the cooling tower owners. Actions are followed through and the impact of these actions are acknowledged through re-sampling.
The HVAC industry, including water treatment firms and cooling equipment manufacturers, are often reticent to the introduction of new regulations. The data indicates that regulations can raise the bar on how to properly control water treatment programs. This can lead to reduction in levels and incidences of Legionella positivity. Clear and simple regulations can have a major impact on the risk associated with the presence of higher levels of Legionella in cooling water systems.
The data confirms the strongly held belief that you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Following the 5 A’s not only has a positive impact on operating costs but can also reduce risk by lowering the level and presence of Legionella in a cooling system.
Spring is the perfect time to also remind ourselves of the best practices for a cooling tower preventative maintenance program. Following these best practices allows your cooling system to reach Least Cost Operating Solution and minimizes your Legionella risk.
Contact DuBois’ experts to learn more about how to prevent Legionella in your operations.
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