Clean water swirling

Water Safety

Water is not sterile. It can harbor bacteria such as Legionella, which can cause severe illness and even death. Recent outbreaks have taught us that Legionella is not specific to any geographic area and that no industry is immune from outbreaks.

Legionella are naturally present in surface water and can infiltrate our municipal water supply by surviving the water treatment process. It can also infiltrate our water systems due to water main failures or during construction projects. Once Legionella enters your facility, it can contaminate your cooling and potable water systems, and eventually spread to faucets, showers, hot tubs and whirlpool spas. The use of these systems can create contaminated water droplets or mists that allow for bacteria inhalation into the lungs of potentially susceptible individuals who can become ill with legionellosis.

As the global leader in water safety for over 30 years, Nalco Water is uniquely qualified to help you manage and reduce Legionella risk.

 Two business professionals sitting at laptop talking.

Step 1:

Managing Legionella Risk

Let Nalco Water develop a Water Management Plan for your facility. Your customized plan will incorporate the required elements of ASHRAE Standard 188, and your plan will include our deep knowledge of water safety. This plan is a roadmap to managing Legionella risk that incorporates a continuous process to manage, verify and validate your plan. These are only some of the critical steps to reduce the risk of Legionella.

Step 2:

Legionella Control Strategies

Once your Water Management Plan is in place, the results of your routine Legionella testing and your oxidant residual and water temperature monitoring may indicate a need for implementing a more robust control strategy. Whether those steps require short-term remediation, such as hyperchlorination or thermal eradication, or long-term control strategies, such as supplemental disinfection, point-of-use water filters or even a cooling tower system protocol, you need an experienced partner in water safety to provide guidance.