The report is the latest in a series on the aftermath of closures or occupancy reductions following the Covid pandemic. Image: revvo/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe inspector general’s office at GSA has renewed concerns about the safety of water in federal buildings, saying that the agency’s requirements fall short and that they are carried out inconsistently and with insufficient oversight.
The report is the latest in a series on the aftermath of closures or occupancy reductions due to the Coronavirus pandemic, since allowing water to remain stagnant in building systems can create hazards “such as an increased risk of exposure to lead, copper, Legionella bacteria, and other contaminants.”
A 2022 report said the GSA’s Public Buildings Service “did not effectively test for water contamination” prior to reopening 71 of the 74 child care centers in federal buildings that had been temporarily closed. It also found that follow-up testing at 38 found lead and/or copper levels above the EPA standards at three, and that the testing did not include for potential contamination from Legionella bacteria, the primary cause of the potentially fatal Legionnaires’ Disease.
And a 2023 report focusing just on testing for Legionella said that elevated levels were found in six buildings — including in one where the level was 640 times higher than the CDC threshold for Legionella being deemed “uncontrolled” — and warned that the risk is broader.
The latest report said that while the PBS has water safety requirements—addressing issues such as flushing water systems, checking chlorine levels, and maintaining hot water hot enough to prevent the growth of Legionella—it “relied extensively upon its operations and maintenance (O&M) contractors” to carry them out.
“However, we found that PBS did not consistently incorporate these water safety activities into O&M contracts . . . In some cases, PBS regions either deviated from the PBS water safety guidance or did not implement it at all,” the report said.
“We also found that PBS did not provide the necessary oversight to ensure that O&M contractors performed the required water safety activities . . . In some cases, tenant agencies prevented O&M contractors from accessing their space to conduct flushing and testing. In other cases, O&M contractors told us that the PBS water safety guidance conflicted with the terms of their contracts.”
The PBS’s policy further “did not require sufficient testing to identify contaminants,” a special concern because “many GSA-owned facilities were constructed prior to the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1986, which required “lead free” plumbing for installations or repairs,” it said. Nor did that policy establish clear requirements for flushing and chlorine checks, it said.
The PBS agreed with the recommendations, saying that it had addressed many of them in guidance issued late last year after the IG had conducted much of its work.
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