This document can serve as a basis for discussions when making decisions. Beyond the documents referenced in the acknowledgements and the resources hyperlinked within the text, there are no other references provided, as access to peer-reviewed literature is limited.
CDC and EPA guidelines recommend developing a water management program as a key step for addressing stagnation and for long-term building water management. However, there are important limitations to water management programs that this document attempts to address. First, developing and fully implementing water management programs can require a lot of institutional resources (i.e., time, funds, personnel, expertise). This document provides information to address the immediate need to respond to stagnation. Building managers then can update or create water management programs. Second, this document provides some “how to” resources for building managers assessing their building plumbing systems after/during stagnation and deciding what level of actions are needed.
An additional limitation in this document is the focus on Legionella. Most industry resources are focused solely on growth of Legionella, the cause of legionellosis (Legionnaires’ disease and Pontiac Fever). Legionella are not the only opportunistic pathogen whose growth can be supported by water stagnation, nor are biological issues the only water quality issues that may arise due to stagnation. However, because consumption-based exposure to metals can be addressed with appropriate filters in most scenarios and widely recognized industry documents do not exist for other opportunistic pathogens beyond Legionella, we have provided information centered around Legionella.
