Aside from the yearly cleaning, skimmers are used throughout the year to remove leaves and other debris that may have fallen into the towers and screens are placed over fans to prevent debris from being sucked in. It is NASA s goal that bacteria samples come back lower than recommended levels. Emergency eyewashes and showers are plumbed to cold water lines so even though the water may sit stagnant, the water temperature is not warm enough to support a population growth of Legionella . EMO has recommended to laboratory personnel that emergency eyewashes be engaged weekly to prevent rust and scale from building up. The water quality of drinking water fountains is tested by the Chemical Sampling and Analysis Team of the Environmental Management Office.
Testing is conducted very two years, sometimes more often if student support is available.
Last year, the Cooling Technology Institute published guidelines for best practices to control Legionella . Since the publication of the guidelines, NASA has been working on updating our cooling tower equipment to accommodate this new technology. The strict treatment and cleaning procedures used here at NASA minimizes the risk from Legionella . All steps have been and will continue to be taken to keep this risk as low as possible.