Drinking water

The high demands on drinking water quality are also met in the city of Jena by monitoring the Public Health Office is seized.

The monitoring of drinking water systems (§ 3 para. 2 of the Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV)) to rule out any damage to human health, especially through pathogens in drinking water. Pathogens, if they entered the drinking water network, could quickly reach and infect many people. This risk can be kept very low.

Definition of drinking water

Drinking water in the sense of the TrinkwV is all water which

• for body care and cleaning,
• for cleaning objects that are intended to come into contact with food and
• for cleaning objects which, according to their intended use, come into contact with the human body not only temporarily.

The purpose of the Drinking Water Ordinance is to protect human health from adverse effects resulting from the contamination of water intended for human consumption by ensuring its wholesomeness and purity.

The monitoring of drinking water is based on the Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV) in conjunction with the German Protection against Infection Act (IfSG) and includes

The limit values (microbiological, chemical and indicator parameters) laid down in the Drinking Water Ordinance enable the control of compliance and safe use of drinking water.

As part of the monitoring, the public health authority must check that the obligations incumbent on the entrepreneur and other owners of a water supply system are fulfilled. The inspections also include the inspection of the water supply facilities in accordance with § 3 Para. 2 a-f including the associated protection zones and the taking and examination of water samples.

Construction work on water supply systems in accordance with § 3 paragraph 2 letter a-f TrinkwV (Drinking Water Ordinance) must be reported to the public health department § 13 paragraph 1-4.

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Legionella are bacteria that can cause various clinical pictures in humans, from flu-like symptoms to severe pneumonia. They are globally spread environmental germs, which are a natural component of surface and ground water in small numbers.

Legionella proliferate best at temperatures between 25 °C and 45 °C. Above 60 °C they are usually killed off and below 20 °C they hardly multiply at all. Especially in the Water pipes in buildings provide the pathogens with good growth conditions at appropriate temperatures. In deposits and deposits of the pipe system and in case of low drinking water consumption Legionella can multiply particularly well. The pathogens can be transmitted by atomized, nebulized water. The pathogen-containing droplets can spread in the air and be inhaled. Possible sources of infection include showers, whirlpools, humidifiers or taps, as well as cooling towers. There are many other possible sources of infection.

Duty to examine

• The required examination according to TrinkwV triffs for installed Hot water installations with a storage volume ≥ 400l and a pipe capacity ≥ 3l (Definition of a large plant according to DVGW W 551) closed.
• The German Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV) regulates in § 16 Para. 7 the necessary measures to be taken if the technical measure value is exceeded and refers here to the recommendations of the Federal Environment Agency, which ...so that they are legally underpinned.
• The examination interval is differentiated is specified.

The public health department offers a free consultation on the compulsory examination for legionella.

Investigation interval

Annual legionella sampling in objects with public use

• Hospitals
• Schools
• Children's facilities
• Old people's and nursing homes
• Hotels
• Sports facilities etc.
• are annual and

At least every 3 years Legionella sampling in objects with commercial use

• Renting

Sampling points

The samples for the tests must be taken at several representative sampling points, in accordance with the generally recognised Rrules of technology and by an approved inspection body can be removed.

Obligation to report when the technical measure value is exceeded

Test results, the one Exceeding the technical measure value ≥ 100 CFU/100ml, are to be verified by the laboratory and by the entrepreneur and other owner of a water supply system (UsI) to the public health department.

Monitoring and advice from the public health department

• Risk assessment of the test resultsit - with possibly necessary on-site inspection
• Tenant information by the entrepreneur and other owner of a water supply and water extraction plant
• Commissioning of a risk analysis by the contractor and other owners of a water supply and water extraction plant within 4 weeks and immediate Submission to the health office
• Presentation of a current drinking water line diagram to the public health department, for the purpose of determining the sampling points for the further investigation
• Evaluation and control of the test results in the post-samples, according to DVGW W 551

• Drinking water ordinance (TrinkwV)
• Infection Protection Act (IfSG)
• Generally accepted rules of technology (a.a.R.D.T.) - DIN, DVGW, VDI
• UBA Recommendations