GSA’s New Legionella and Water Quality Testing Requirements

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) outlined new requirements earlier this year for drinking water standards in GSA-controlled spaces. It was done with a primary emphasis on ensuring the safety of federal employees, contractors, and visitors. GSA states that the new testing requirements are a cornerstone in maintaining drinking water standards for federally owned facilities and leased spaces under their jurisdiction, custody, or control.

GSA’s Public Building Service (PBS) water quality management plan includes a scope of sampling and testing that is above established regulations. The plan requires:

• Establishing baseline drinking-water quality tests at approximately 1,400 federally owned facilities and approximately 6,000 leased spaces in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024.

• Testing federally owned facilities that are over 1,000 square feet with drinking water systems and GSA-controlled leased spaces that do not expire in FY24.

• Developing and implementing water sampling and flushing plans based on ASHRAE recommendations in approximately 350 federally owned facilities that are higher than six stories and over 50,000 square feet with one or more water booster pumps.

• Performing weekly water flushing in areas of buildings with childcare centers, healthcare units, and showers, regardless of the building size.

• Performing monthly Legionella testing of all cooling towers, humidifiers, and decorative fountains (during the operating season).

GSA requirements include CDC Legionella detection standards of less than 0.9 CFU/mL as well controlled, 1.0-9.9 CFU/mL as poorly controlled, and greater than or equal to 10 CFU/mL as uncontrolled. Laboratory analysis for Legionella must have a detection level below 0.9 CFU/mL.

“Thousands of locations in hundreds of buildings are required to have their water tested in the current fiscal year,” said Frank Selamie, President of CTSI. “GSA testing requirements include sampling for Legionella, lead, copper, total coliform bacteria, and E.coli. GSA funds are available to help subsidize the testing cost. CTSI is uniquely positioned in the Tri-State area to provide sampling and documented results that meet all of the testing protocols.”

To learn more about Legionella, lead, and other water quality management testing resources, please visit www.ctsiweb.com, email contactus@ctsiweb.com , or call (212) 971-7016.

About CTSI

Established in 1992, Consulting & Testing Services, Inc. (CTSI) was founded on one strong commitment: to provide efficient and expert services to clients based on professionalism, innovation, and cost-effective solutions. This commitment has been furthered by CTSI’s reputation for fostering client relationships in all sectors of the Environmental Health, Safety, and Construction industries. CTSI prides itself in utilizing a high-quality service based on its diverse team of staff and professionals’ concise recommendations and solutions to the most pressing dilemmas. The company operates offices in New York and Florida that service clients across the United States.

Contact Information

Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

Contact via E-mail