491 Environmental Microbiology and Legionella: Managing Building Water Risks with Dr. Rajiv Sahay
Release Date: 08/28/2026
503 Pinks and Blues: Beyond Industrial Water Week 2026
Scaling UP! H2O
Industrial Water Week 2026 has ended, and Trace Blackmore, CWT, challenges listeners to carry its focus on learning and mentorship into the rest of the year. This Pinks and Blues episode combines reflections on IWW26 and the AWT convention with listener questions about AI and professional development. Give continued learning a place on your calendar Trace proposes a specific challenge: choose one of Industrial Water Week’s five focus areas and schedule 30 minutes to improve your understanding. Those areas are pretreatment, boilers, cooling, wastewater, and careers. ...
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502 Industrial Water Week 2026: Careers Friday
Scaling UP! H2O
Experienced water treaters carry knowledge that the next generation needs. For Careers Friday, Trace Blackmore, CWT asks them to pass it on. The Industrial Water Week 2026 finale connects industrial water treatment careers with mentorship, practical training, and curiosity. Pass on the reasoning behind the work Trace describes a mentor as someone you can call when a system presents a problem you cannot explain. Learning from another professional’s challenges, mistakes, and experience helped him solve problems and later mentor others. He also addresses professionals preparing to retire....
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501 Industrial Water Week 2026: Wastewater Thursday
Scaling UP! H2O
A wastewater inspection appeared to expose a failed treatment program—until Trace checked where the sample had been collected. For Industrial Water Week 2026: Wastewater Thursday, Trace Blackmore, CWT, connects correct sampling, water reuse, and careful troubleshooting with the decisions water treaters make every day. Check the sample location before drawing conclusions In an early-career account, a plant operator faced a threatened shutdown after an inspector’s sample produced out-of-spec results. Trace reviewed logs, spoke with the engineer, and tested two locations. The...
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500 Industrial Water Week 2026: Cooling Wednesday
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Cooling Wednesday brings a practical reminder: correcting a treatment problem requires understanding what caused it. For Industrial Water Week 2026, Trace Blackmore, CWT, celebrates Episode 500 with lessons on cooling tower foam, biocide feed verification, Legionella risk, and unexplained chilled water loss. Start with the feed history When a cooling tower produces enough foam to spread across the property and trigger low water shutdowns, Trace begins with the biocide feed logs. He compares the chemical remaining in the tank with calculated consumption and finds evidence of...
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499 Industrial Water Week 2026: Boiler Tuesday
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Boiler Tuesday is a reminder that industrial water treatment exists to protect heat transfer efficiency. For day two of Industrial Water Week 2026, Trace Blackmore, CWT, connects feedwater preparation, condensate quality, and treatment distribution to the everyday decisions that keep steam systems working. Feedwater quality sets the stage Trace starts with a practical measure of boiler performance: how much heat from the flame reaches the steam? Feedwater conditions directly affect that work. He links inadequate feedwater heating with higher chemical demand,...
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498 Industrial Water Week 2026: Pretreatment Monday
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is here—and Day 1 is Pretreatment Monday. In Episode 498, Trace Blackmore, CWT, opens the 2026 celebration with troubleshooting stories, returning guest greetings, and a new Detective H2O case that brings pretreatment performance into focus. Celebrate with purpose Take a photo with your favorite pretreatment equipment—a softener, RO, or filter housing—and post it with #IWW26. Then search the hashtag to connect with others doing the same work. Trace’s invitation makes the week visible and recognizes the people who keep downstream systems operating. Start with the pretreatment train At...
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497 Pinks & Blues: From Sample to Solution
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A controller and a handheld meter give you different readings. Before you adjust blowdown or chemical feed, how do you determine which result deserves your confidence? Reliable water treatment testing starts with understanding the sample, the system, and the equipment behind the number. In Episode 497, “Pinks and Blues: From Sample to Solution,” Trace Blackmore, CWT, answers listener questions that build on Episodes 397 and 408. He connects testing with repeatable procedures so technicians can interpret results, make informed adjustments, and explain their decisions to...
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496 Growing Through Change in Water Treatment with Mark Lewis, Part 2
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When a water treater can run a test but cannot yet diagnose a failing system, the next training decision matters. In Growing Through Change with Mark Lewis, Part 2, Mark Lewis of CRB Water joins Trace Blackmore, CWT, to connect training choices with work in the field. Match Training to Experience Mark sees the space between AWT’s March and November training sessions as a chance to revise material instead of repeating the same presentation. He explains how Fundamentals and Applications, Program Designs and Operations, and Technical Training serve different levels of readiness....
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495 Growing Through Change in Water Treatment with Mark Lewis, Part 1
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Change is unavoidable, but uncertainty does not have to control how water treatment professionals respond to it. Mark Lewis returns to share what he learned when Southeastern Laboratories was acquired by CRB Water—and how employees can remain valuable, informed, and open to opportunity during a business transition. Navigating an Acquisition from the Employee’s Perspective Southeastern Laboratories began exploring a buyer because its owners wanted to protect the company and approximately 30 employees. When CRB Water entered the picture, employees naturally wondered what...
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494 Preparing for AWT 2026: Leadership, Change, and CWT Growth with Matt Coffindaffer, Part 2
Scaling UP! H2O
A strong convention outcome starts before the first session and continues long after the exhibit hall closes. Association of Water Technologies Executive Director Matt Coffindaffer explains how deliberate preparation, wider professional relationships, and volunteer service can turn AWT 2026 into practical value for an industrial water treatment career or business. Find the Right Place to Volunteer AWT offers yearlong committee service, shorter task-force assignments, and opportunities across technical research, marketing, membership, regulatory affairs, business resources, young...
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Reliable Legionella results begin long before a sample reaches the laboratory. Dr. Rajiv Sahay of Sahay Scientific Services explains how building conditions, field collection practices, and laboratory methods influence the quality—and usefulness—of the data water professionals receive.
Building Water Conditions Shape the Risk
Modern buildings rely heavily on controlled mechanical systems, yet water can remain an overlooked part of the indoor environment. Stagnation, low flow, dead legs, temperature, pH, disinfectant residuals, corrosion, and accumulated organic material can all influence biofilm development and microbial activity.
Dr. Sahay cautions against solving one problem while creating another. Raising a disinfectant concentration without considering system materials, water chemistry, and occupant health can introduce secondary risks. Instead, water professionals need enough data to balance microbial control with the operational realities of the system.
Better Samples Begin in the Field
Sample quality depends on what happens at the collection point. Dr. Sahay recommends recording temperature and pH when the sample is taken, selecting a collection technique suited to the water body, and avoiding unnecessary sediment or debris.
He also explains how gloves, hands, bottles, and sampling equipment can introduce cross-contamination. Aseptic handling, clean barriers, appropriate disinfection, and complete chain-of-custody documentation help the laboratory connect its findings with actual field conditions.
What Happens Inside the Laboratory
Dr. Sahay walks listeners through three testing pathways: non-culture methods, traditional culture, and molecular diagnostics such as PCR. Culture remains the reference method discussed for isolating and confirming Legionella, while molecular testing can provide faster screening information.
The conversation also follows a sample through filtration, preparation, inoculation on BCYE media, incubation, preliminary identification, and confirmation. This context helps water professionals understand why laboratory turnaround times and reported results vary by method.
Reading Results With the Right Context
A nondetect does not necessarily establish that an entire water system—or even the full sample bottle—contains no Legionella. It means the laboratory did not detect the organism in the analyzed portion under the method’s detection capability.
That distinction reinforces the central lesson: usable field data, representative sampling, appropriate laboratory methods, and informed interpretation must work together.
Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge!
Connect with Dr. Rajiv Sahay
Phone: (727) 488-4001
Email: [email protected]
Website: Environmental Services Consulting
LinkedIn: Dr. Rajiv Sahay, FIAS, CIAQP | LinkedIn
Sahay's Scientific Services: Overview | LinkedIn
Guest Resources Mentioned
CDC Legionella water management program overview
CDC Legionella prevention resources: https://www.cdc.gov/legionella/index.html
CDC ELITE Program (Environmental Legionella Isolation Techniques Evaluation)
EPA (Legionella-related publications and resources)
ASHRAE Standard 188 (Legionellosis risk management)
Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned
AWT (Association of Water Technologies)
Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses
Scaling UP! H2O Legionella Resources Library
Water You Know with James McDonald
Today's definition is an organophosphorus compound containing a direct carbon-phosphorus bond that is commonly used in water treatment for corrosion control and threshold scale inhibition. Can you guess the word or phrase?
2026 Events for Water Professionals
Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE.
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