Facility Water Management & Water Quality
Managing Facility Water Quality
TES helps industrial, commercial, healthcare, institutional, and public-sector facilities evaluate and manage potable water, cooling water, service water, and other facility water systems. Our nationwide services include water-management program support, water-quality testing, Legionella sampling, recurring potable-water monitoring, cooling-system evaluations, and investigations of biological activity, corrosion, scale, deposits, and fouling.
Facility Water Management Services
TES helps facilities establish, evaluate, and strengthen water-management programs for building and industrial water systems. Program support may include system inventories, process-flow documentation, identification of representative monitoring points, sampling-plan development, control-point review, documentation procedures, response planning, and periodic program evaluation.
For Legionella-focused programs, the approach can be aligned with applicable elements of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 188, ASHRAE Guideline 12, CDC water-management resources, and AIHA technical guidance. CDC describes a water-management program as an ongoing process that identifies hazardous conditions and establishes steps to reduce the health impact of waterborne pathogens.
TES develops targeted potable-water monitoring programs for facilities that need structured visibility into distribution-system conditions. Programs may use rotating sentinel locations so additional outlets and operating areas can be evaluated over time without unnecessarily repeating the same sampling points.
Routine monitoring may include free and total chlorine residual, field observations, microbiological activity, and historical trend review. Expanded events may include total coliform, E. coli, disinfectant byproducts, nitrate and nitrite, chloride, sulfate, total dissolved solids, metals, and physical water-quality measurements.
The proposal-based program model combines quarterly microbiological monitoring with semiannual expanded chemical and microbiological testing, followed by technical interpretation and comparison with prior results.
TES provides Legionella sampling and technical interpretation for potable water systems, cooling towers, evaporative cooling systems, storage tanks, and other systems where water conditions or aerosol generation may create concern.
Sampling plans are developed around system type, hydraulics, usage patterns, operating conditions, disinfectant strategy, water age, and risk considerations. Results are evaluated collectively rather than treated as stand-alone numbers, with consideration given to system design, historical data, field observations, and existing water-management controls.
CDC recommends that sampling be based on an environmental assessment and a representative sampling plan. It identifies sediment and biofilm, temperature, water age, and disinfectant residual as key factors to consider when evaluating conditions that may support Legionella growth.
Cooling towers, evaporative condensers, fluid coolers, and other evaporative systems require consistent operational control because they can accumulate sediment, support biofilm, experience periods of reduced circulation, and generate aerosols.
TES can support these systems through representative water sampling, Legionella analysis, disinfectant and physical-parameter measurements, operating-condition review, technical reporting, and follow-up verification. Programs may be performed as part of routine water management, a targeted investigation, startup or recommissioning, or a response to an unusual result.
OSHA identifies cooling towers, evaporative condensers, fluid coolers, potable water systems, and domestic hot-water systems among the manmade systems that may support Legionella growth when they are poorly maintained.
TES evaluates industrial service-water and utility-water systems experiencing recurring scale, discoloration, reduced flow, deposits, fouling, biological activity, or other performance concerns.
A targeted evaluation may include internal visual observations, borescope photography, paired water and deposit sampling, field water-quality measurements, laboratory characterization, and comparison of results across the system. Representative locations can include the water source, post-treatment or post-filtration points, chemical-injection areas, storage tanks, normal operating sections, visibly affected sections, and low-flow or stagnant areas.
The objective is to distinguish among potential contributors such as inorganic scale, corrosion products, source-water influence, microbiological activity, storage conditions, and operational factors.
Visible deposits do not always reveal what is causing a water-system problem. Material that appears to be scale may include mineral deposits, corrosion products, biological material, sediment, or a combination of multiple mechanisms.
TES can collect and analyze representative deposits to characterize their physical, chemical, mineralogical, and biological composition. Depending on project needs, testing may include total, fixed, and volatile solids; heterotrophic plate count; iron-related bacteria; sulfate-reducing bacteria; slime-producing bacteria; metals; silica; and X-ray diffraction with spectrometry.
Paired water samples help determine whether conditions observed within deposits correspond with water chemistry or microbiological activity elsewhere in the system.
Microbiologically influenced corrosion, commonly called MIC, occurs when microorganisms and the conditions they create contribute to corrosion processes within a water system.
TES evaluates indicators associated with MIC and biofilm formation using system observations, water chemistry, deposit characterization, heterotrophic plate counts, and biological activity testing for organisms such as iron-related bacteria, sulfate-reducing bacteria, slime-forming bacteria, and acid-producing or heterotrophic bacteria.
Results are interpreted alongside dissolved oxygen, oxidation-reduction potential, disinfectant residual, water age, deposit conditions, system hydraulics, and other operating information. Biological detection alone does not automatically establish the cause or severity of corrosion; the full set of system conditions must be considered.
Laboratory reports provide analytical values, but they do not always explain what those values mean for the facility.
TES reviews field measurements, laboratory data, location conditions, operating history, and prior results to identify patterns across the water system. Reporting can include tabulated results, location comparisons, historical trends, photographs, interpretation of notable findings, identification of areas warranting attention, and recommendations for further evaluation or verification.
Recurring monitoring programs can be structured to identify stability, seasonal change, emerging biological activity, declining disinfectant residual, or repeated problem locations.
Water Quality Parameters and Analytical Services
Real-Time Field Measurements
Microbiological Testing
Water Chemistry
Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts
Deposit Characterization
Facility Water Management Process
Define the System, Concerns & Objectives
We identify the water system, operating conditions, known concerns, applicable guidance, and decisions the data needs to support.
Review Records & System Conditions
We review diagrams, treatment information, prior sampling data, operating history, storage equipment, and known problem areas.
Perform Field Evaluation & Sampling
TES collects water or deposit samples, documents field conditions, and measures real-time water-quality parameters.
Deliver Findings & Next Actions
We evaluate results, identify notable patterns, and provide technically supportable findings and recommendations.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is a facility water-management program?
A facility water-management program is a structured process for identifying water-system hazards, establishing control measures, monitoring operating conditions, documenting results, and responding when conditions fall outside established limits. The program should be specific to the facility’s water systems, equipment, occupants, operating conditions, and applicable requirements. CDC describes water-management programs as an ongoing process requiring continuous review rather than a one-time document.
What types of water systems can TES evaluate?
TES can evaluate potable-water distribution systems, domestic hot- and cold-water systems, storage tanks, cooling towers, evaporative cooling systems, industrial service-water systems, utility-water systems, low-flow branches, dead legs, and systems experiencing deposits, biological activity, scaling, corrosion, or fouling. The exact scope depends on the system and the concern being investigated.
Does TES provide Legionella testing?
Yes. TES provides Legionella sampling, laboratory analysis, technical interpretation, and reporting for potable-water systems, cooling systems, storage tanks, and other applicable water systems. Sampling locations are selected according to system type, hydraulics, usage, operating conditions, disinfectant regime, water age, and identified risk considerations.
Can TES develop or review a Legionella water-management program?
Yes. TES can help facilities evaluate whether a program is needed, document water systems, identify control locations, establish monitoring procedures, develop response protocols, review existing programs, and align the program with applicable CDC, ASHRAE, AIHA, OSHA, and jurisdictional guidance.
Does a facility need to test for Legionella routinely?
There is no single testing schedule that is appropriate for every facility. The decision should consider the type of system, population served, risk profile, regulatory or accreditation requirements, prior results, program objectives, and how the results will be used. CDC recommends that routine testing be based on an environmental assessment and incorporated into the broader water-management program.
Does a negative Legionella result prove that a system is safe?
No. A negative result represents the conditions at the sampled locations and time of collection. It does not prove that Legionella is absent everywhere in the system or that conditions will remain unchanged. Results should be interpreted together with the sampling plan, system design, operating data, disinfectant residual, temperature, water age, maintenance history, and water-management controls.
What happens if Legionella is detected?
TES reviews the result in the context of the system, sampling location, analytical method, operating conditions, facility risk, and water-management plan. Depending on the circumstances, next steps may include confirmation sampling, expansion of the sampling plan, operational review, corrective action, communication with facility leadership or public-health authorities, and post-corrective verification. A positive result should not be interpreted without considering the broader system context.
Does TES inspect cooling towers?
TES provides water-quality and Legionella-related evaluations for cooling towers and evaporative systems. Services may include representative sampling, field measurements, operating-condition review, laboratory analysis, technical interpretation, and follow-up verification. Mechanical inspection, cleaning, disinfection, repair, and chemical-treatment services should be clearly scoped because they may require other qualified contractors.
What does potable-water testing include?
Potable-water testing can include chlorine residual, temperature, pH, turbidity, conductivity, total coliform, E. coli, heterotrophic plate count, Legionella, metals, nitrate and nitrite, chloride, sulfate, total dissolved solids, trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, and other project-specific parameters. The panel should be selected according to the system, objective, and applicable requirements rather than using the same panel for every facility.
How often should potable water be sampled?
Sampling frequency depends on the facility, water system, use of the data, prior results, applicable requirements, and risk profile. TES can develop quarterly, semiannual, annual, rotating, event-based, or customized programs. One proposal-based model uses quarterly microbiological monitoring with semiannual expanded verification testing.
Can TES investigate scale and deposits inside water lines?
Yes. TES can document visible pipe conditions, collect representative water and deposit samples, measure field parameters, and perform chemical, microbiological, and mineralogical analyses. This information helps distinguish among mineral scale, corrosion material, sediment, biological deposits, and mixed fouling mechanisms.
What is microbiologically influenced corrosion?
Microbiologically influenced corrosion is corrosion that is initiated, accelerated, or otherwise affected by microorganisms and their activity within a system. Evaluating possible MIC generally requires more than a single bacterial result. Water chemistry, deposit composition, biological activity, oxygen conditions, oxidation-reduction potential, hydraulics, and corrosion evidence should be evaluated together.
Can TES investigate low-flow areas and dead legs?
Yes. Low-flow, intermittent-use, and stagnant sections are important sampling considerations because water age, declining disinfectant residual, sediment, and biofilm may differ from conditions in frequently used sections. TES can incorporate these locations into baseline assessments, routine monitoring, or targeted investigations.
Do EPA drinking-water regulations apply to every facility?
No. EPA’s National Primary Drinking Water Regulations apply to public water systems, and states may administer additional or more stringent requirements. A commercial or industrial facility receiving water from a public utility may have different obligations from a facility that owns or operates a regulated public water system. Applicability should be determined for the specific system and jurisdiction.
Do healthcare facilities need water-management programs?
Healthcare facilities generally require a higher level of water-system oversight because they may serve vulnerable populations and operate complex systems. CDC states that healthcare facilities should develop and implement comprehensive water-management programs and identifies current federal expectations for covered healthcare facilities.
Can TES support multiple facilities under one program?
Yes. TES can develop standardized program elements, reporting formats, sampling strategies, and data-review procedures for organizations with multiple locations. Each facility should still receive a site-specific evaluation because system design, water source, climate, operations, occupancy, and regulatory requirements can vary.
What will we receive after the assessment?
Deliverables may include an executive summary, system overview, sampling-location documentation, field observations, photographs, field measurements, laboratory results, historical comparisons, interpretation of notable findings, identification of trends, and recommendations for additional evaluation or verification. The deliverable is customized to the project scope and intended use of the data.
Does TES provide nationwide facility water-management services?
Yes. TES supports individual properties and multi-site organizations throughout the United States. Project planning considers location, access, laboratory logistics, analytical hold times, state requirements, facility conditions, and the technical personnel needed for the scope.