Local Law 77 of 2015 requires all cooling towers in New York City to be tested for Legionella every 90 days. It is important for business and commercial building owners to maintain compliance with this law as there may be significant penalties for those who do not. Tower Water offers 90-day testing services as well as emergency testing for those whose employees are experiencing symptoms of Legionella exposure. If you do not currently comply with Local Law 77 of 2015 or suspect there may be Legionella present in your cooling tower, let us handle your 90 day and emergency testing services to grant you peace of mind.
Quarterly Legionella Testing Agreements
The City and State of New York both require registration of cooling towers as well as regular cleaning, maintenance, and Legionella testing. At Tower Water, we provide building owners with testing agreements where we test your cooling towers every 90 days (roughly once per quarter) to prove your towers are free of harmful bacteria. Our team uses sterile containers which are hand-delivered to the NY-Elite ELAP approved laboratory where they are independently examined. We can also check other water levels, such as the temperature, pH, and amount of disinfectant, if we believe water to be unsafe, and reduce the number of risks associated with your cooling towers.
Emergency Legionella Testing
Common signs of exposure to Legionella include coughing, headaches, fevers, shortness of breath, nausea, abdominal pain, or and similar symptoms. In the event that your employees or commercial tenants face any of these symptoms, and it is believed to be coming from your facility, our professionals will arrive on-site and conduct the required testing as soon as possible. If you suspect there may be Legionella present in your cooling tower, do not hesitate as it may lead to worsening symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease. Allow us to provide emergency testing services to rule out or discover a dangerous amount of Legionella in your cooling towers.
Laboratory Inspections & Reporting
After collecting the cooling tower samples during testing, we send the samples to a NY Elite ELAP-approved laboratory to inspect for Legionella. Once they are received by the laboratory, they are thoroughly examined and tested for harmful bacteria. This process may take upwards of 1-2 weeks, but the results are the most accurate and will be provided immediately after they have been determined. If Legionella is detected, at a significant level, you may need to inform the City and State of New York. The State requires you to report each date that Legionella was found in your cooling tower, regardless of the amount. The City only requires a report if it shows more than 1,000 CFU/mL (colony-forming units of Legionella per milliliter).
Legionella Testing Using The Dip Slide Method — Video
Speak With Tower Water For More Information
If you do not yet have 90-day Legionella testing in place or have a reason to believe there may be Legionella in your cooling tower, our team is ready to assist. We have several years of experience working to identify and reduce contamination in cooling towers and other systems that operate similarly. Additionally, we go above and beyond to ensure your cooling towers remain in compliance with city and state-wide laws. For more information about 90-day or emergency testing services in New York City, speak with Tower Water by phone at (212) 729-9361 or schedule a consultation online today.
