Drinking Water Analysis
On 3 May 2011 the German Federal Council adopted the “First Ordinance to amend the Drinking Water Ordinance”. The amended drinking water ordinance (TrinkwV) has been in force since 1 November 2011 and includes several changes that aim to improve the quality standards for drinking water.
On 14 December 2012 the "Second Ordinance to amend the Drinkinw Water Ordinance" came into force.
Mandatory monitoring of Legionella
Mandatory monitoring of Legionella is required in regular intervals. This applies to all operators of drinking water supply facilities with large-scale systems for heating drinking water, provided they supply drinking water within the context of commercial and/or public activity and if this is accompanied by the formation of aerosols (such as in showers).
Disclosure duty:
The general obligation to notify health authorities about existing large-scale systems was abolished by the Second Amendment Ordinance. Instead, authorities must now be notified immediately if the result of the microbiological analysis is above the technical Legionella threshold.
Mandatory testing:
Along with mandatory monitoring as specified in TrinkwV 2011, samples from several representative sampling points must be taken and analysed for Legionella at least once a year (public drinking water systems). The operator of the drinking water supply system is obliged to make available such sampling points. With the Second Amendment Ordinance, the testing interval has been expanded to a triannual rhythm for commercial drinking water systems.
Action taken in the event of non-compliance with these requirements:
In the event of non-compliance with the requirements of TrinkwV, the health authorities are entitled based on § 9 Section 6 to instruct the operator of the drinking water supply system to carry out on-site inspections together with hazard analysis and verification of compliance with the generally accepted rules of technology within at latest 30 days (depending on the quantity of Legionella detected), or have these measures carried out by a third party.