This is a legacy version of the WELL Building Standard. Please check the latest version here.

Water treatment

Water treatment

Intent: 

To improve water quality by requiring the use of water treatment systems.

BACKGROUND

There are many types of contaminants that may compromise water quality, from pathogens and heavy metals to pesticide and herbicide residues. While routine testing helps to keep track of potential pollutants, sampling alone cannot guarantee the elimination of all risk. Disruptions to water supply, droughts, flooding and construction and infrastructure changes can temporarily affect water quality. Therefore, implementing and maintaining appropriate water treatment systems - including carbon filters, sediment filters and UV sanitization - is key in order to continuously deliver high quality water.

Part 1
Organic Chemical Removal

All water being delivered to the project area for human consumption is treated with the following:
a.187
Activated carbon filter.

Part 2
Sediment Filter

All water being delivered to the project area for human consumption is treated with the following:
a.
Filter rated to remove suspended solids with pore size 1.5 µm or less.

Part 3
Microbial Elimination

All water being delivered to the project area for human consumption is treated with one of the following:
a.188
UVGI water sanitation.
b.
Filter rated by the NSF to remove microbial cysts.

Part 4
Water Quality Maintenance

To verify that the selected filtration/sanitation system chosen continues to operate as designed, projects must annually provide the IWBI with:
a.
Record-keeping for a minimum of 3 years, including evidence that the filter and/or sanitizer has been properly maintained as per the manufacturer's recommendation.

Part 5
Legionella Control

A point-by-point narrative describes how the building addresses Legionella, and includes the following:
a.177
Formation of a team for Legionella management in the building.
b.177
Water system inventory and production of process flow diagrams.
c.177
Hazard analysis of water assets.
d.177
Identification of critical control points.
e.177
Maintenance and control measures, monitoring, establishment of performance limits and corrective actions.
f.177
Documentation, verification and validation procedures.