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Cooling towers at all Henrico schools will be tested for legionella

Posted at 5:04 PM, Oct 24, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-24 17:45:48-04

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Henrico County school leaders say crews will test cooling towers at all county schools for legionella.

The school district has secured a contract with Water Chemistry, Inc. for the treatment of chillers and cooling towers, according to Henrico Schools spokesperson Andy Jenks.

The extra precaution comes after multiple schools in Chesterfield tested positive for the bacteria.

Jenks says Water Chemistry, Inc. will conduct additional testing for Legionella on all 30 of their cooling towers. To date, at least ten of the cooling towers have been cleaned and tested and there have been no positive reports.

Officials say all cooling towers will now be tested cleaned twice a year and treated quarterly.

Previously, the towers were regularly maintained by school staff, but not tested specifically for Legionella until recently “in light of the concerns” that came forward in another locality.

“We’re now going above and beyond what we used to do,” said Jenks.

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