Mary Wilson
Well-known member
September 9, 2022
by Zoë Freer-Hessler
TOMPKINS COUNTY, N.Y.—The Tompkins County Health Department (TCHD) is notifying the community that a cooling tower located in the Tompkins County Mental Health Department at 201 East Green Street has shown elevated levels of a bacteria called Legionella.
The cool tower is part of a recirculated water system in the building’s cooling, refrigeration or energy production system, and all owners of cooling towers in New York State are required to test the towers routinely for this bacteria and disinfect routinely.
Integrated Water Management (IWM), the entity contracted to manage the health department’s cooling tower, received sample results on Sept. 1 showing that the concentration of Legionella in the tower was >1,500 colony-forming units per milliliter. Anything over 1,000 units per milliliter requires public notification, review of the tower’s treatment protocols and decontamination of the tower.
WM performed decontamination of the cooling tower on Sept. 8, notified Tompkins County Environmental Health of the increased levels, reviewed the treatment protocol and will retest within the next seven days.
If increased bacterial levels remain, further decontamination and disinfection will be required.
https://ithacavoice.com/2022/09/health-department-notifies-public-of-increased-legionella-bacteria/
by Zoë Freer-Hessler
TOMPKINS COUNTY, N.Y.—The Tompkins County Health Department (TCHD) is notifying the community that a cooling tower located in the Tompkins County Mental Health Department at 201 East Green Street has shown elevated levels of a bacteria called Legionella.
The cool tower is part of a recirculated water system in the building’s cooling, refrigeration or energy production system, and all owners of cooling towers in New York State are required to test the towers routinely for this bacteria and disinfect routinely.
Integrated Water Management (IWM), the entity contracted to manage the health department’s cooling tower, received sample results on Sept. 1 showing that the concentration of Legionella in the tower was >1,500 colony-forming units per milliliter. Anything over 1,000 units per milliliter requires public notification, review of the tower’s treatment protocols and decontamination of the tower.
WM performed decontamination of the cooling tower on Sept. 8, notified Tompkins County Environmental Health of the increased levels, reviewed the treatment protocol and will retest within the next seven days.
If increased bacterial levels remain, further decontamination and disinfection will be required.
https://ithacavoice.com/2022/09/health-department-notifies-public-of-increased-legionella-bacteria/