Quebec Cooling Tower Regulation
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Quebec Cooling Tower Regulation
On January 16th, the Quebec Building Authority (Régie du Bâtiment – RBQ) published a draft regulation in the Gazette officielle of Quebec, which will require all owners of cooling towers and evaporative condensers to set up an elaborate maintenance program. In addition to this the registration of the installation with the RBQ and the keeping of an official register will also be required.
This new regulation aims to prevent a new outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, responsible for several deaths in Quebec during the summer of 2012.
The regulation should enter into effect by 18th of March 2013 and will include the following obligations:
- Establish a regular maintenance program that needs to be fully documented
- Certification of the maintenance program by a member of a professional association whose activities are related to the field of cooling towers
- Produce a service manual including a full description of the physical installation, the preventive measures and procedures for the maintenance of water quality
- Keep a register of all technical information, maintenance, repairs and modifications to the system, available for inspection on the premises
- Submit to the RBQ, within 30 days of the original operation, information regarding the description and management of the cooling system.
In summary, the owners of cooling towers will be responsible for registering their facilities to the RBQ, to establish a maintenance program which needs to be certified by a cooling tower maintenance specialist, such as Abbotts-Air Ltd, and keep a record of interventions carried out on the cooling system. In light of this new regulation, it will not be long before it spreads across Canada as a template for proper care of cooling towers.