Southern Indiana Industrial Water Treatment

Cleaning and maintaining process water in boilers, cooling towers and closed loop systems is incredibly important. Without ongoing treatment and care, issues like corrosion, scale and bacteria can delay and eventually damage your water system.

Fortunately, Chardon Laboratories can help you prevent and control these costly issues or address current problems affecting your water system. Using specialized chemicals and advanced technologies, we can customize a water treatment plan to your facility’s needs. We treat water systems in the following Southern Indiana cities and more:

• Boonville
• Corydon
• Evansville
• Jasper
• Madison
• New Albany
• Princeton
• Rockport
• Scottsburg
• Tell City

Read on to learn about the importance of industrial water treatment, along with the different maintenance services we perform.

Water Quality in Southern Indiana

According to reports from Indiana American Water, various contaminants are present in natural water sources like lakes, rivers, streams and ponds. These contaminants include:

• Microbial contaminants: Microbial contaminants like bacteria and viruses can derive from a variety of sources, including sewage treatment plants, wildlife, agricultural livestock and septic systems.
• Inorganic contaminants: Materials like metals and salts can occur naturally or come from urban stormwater runoff, farming, mining, oil and gas production and domestic or industrial wastewater.
• Organic chemical contaminants: Synthetic and volatile organic chemicals are often by-products of petroleum manufacturing and other industrial processes. They may also come from urban stormwater runoff, septic systems and gas stations.

Contaminants like chemicals and bacteria naturally inhabit water as it moves through the earth and atmosphere. These substances can affect industrial water systems such as cooling towers and closed loops.

Over time, those contaminants can cause issues like mineral buildup, rust and bacterial contamination, reducing water system performance significantly. This makes consistent cleaning, treatment and maintenance a must.

Southern Indiana Legionella Planning

Thriving in warm, wet environments, Legionella bacteria naturally occurs in freshwater sources like rivers, streams and lakes. However, it can also occupy building water systems such as cooling towers, ornamental fountains, humidifiers and faucets.

In some cases, Legionella can settle into airborne droplets that are small enough to breathe in. When people inhale these droplets, they can contract a lung infection called Legionnaires’ disease, or a mild flu-like virus called Pontiac fever. Older, immunocompromised and chronically ill individuals are most likely to get sick from this bacteria.

To reduce Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks, your business should have an effective plan to control Legionella development as much as possible. Chardon can help you create and implement a comprehensive Water Management Plan (WMP) based on your facility’s needs. The goal of this plan is to protect your water system and people inside your building from bacterial growth and spread.

Below are the measures we take to help facilities plan for and address Legionella:

Risk Identification

Understanding potential Legionella risks in your water system is the first step in formulating a WMP. A Chardon specialist will examine your building’s water systems to locate bacterial risk factors. Here are some water conditions that cultivate Legionella growth:

• Stagnation
• Temperature between 68 and 122 degrees Fahrenheit
• Potential hydrogen (pH) between 5 and 8.5

This initial assessment will help us determine the appropriate control measures and practices to integrate into your plan.

Testing

Testing your process water for Legionella cultures is another key element in creating a WMP. The nature of the bacteria can make testing a challenge. An amoeba — a moving, shape-alerting microbe — typically consumes Legionella. 

The Legionella multiples from within the amoeba, exploding and outbreaking. That’s why regular water system testing is critical to identify possible bacteria-related issues.

After analyzing your site, our team will help you determine the necessary testing protocols. A Chardon technician will conduct this test, then send it to a laboratory for further assessment.

Correction and Remediation

Correction and adjustment are the final steps in executing a WMP. This stage involves monitoring and reporting any changes to your staff, testing protocols, water systems and other control measures to help defend your facility from Legionella as much as possible. We use a convenient online portal to streamline WMP access and updating.