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The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) today (March 6) announced that the department tested 85 water samples collected from cooling towers in 69 buildings in its routine inspections in February this year. One sample was detected to have a Legionella bacteria count (LBC) at or above the upper threshold, which is 1 000 colony-forming units per millilitre. The latest statistics are set out in Annex 1.
The cooling tower in which the sample was collected in February is located at Wing Fai Plaza, 29-35 Ting Kok Road, Tai Po. The EMSD has issued a nuisance notice under the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance to the owner of the cooling tower requiring appropriate disinfection work to be done. Disinfection of the cooling tower in this case has already been completed by the owner. Details of this case, as well as the locations of buildings served with nuisance notices during the preceding three-month period because the LBC was found in their fresh water cooling towers to be equal to or above the upper threshold, are set out in Annex 2. The EMSD publishes the latest statistics of the above information on a half-monthly basis on its website (www.emsd.gov.hk/emsd/eng/pps/oa_ct_stat.shtml).
The EMSD reminds fresh water cooling tower owners that they are responsible for designing, operating and maintaining cooling towers properly. They should arrange regular inspections, timely maintenance and periodic testing of the water quality in their cooling towers in accordance with the Code of Practice for Water-cooled Air Conditioning Systems issued by the department to prevent the proliferation of Legionella bacteria.
Ends/Friday, March 6, 2015
Issued at HKT 14:15
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