Cooling Towers

The owner/occupier of a premises where a regulated cooling system is installed must:

  1. Register their system with Willoughby Council using the Regulated Cooling System Registration form.
  2. Install, operate and maintain the systems and records in accordance with the Public Health Act 1991, Public Health (Microbial Control) Regulation 2000 and Australian Standard 3666 series.

There are statutory penalties for those who fail to comply with legislation. The responsible person is guilty of an offence if their tower is not registered with Council or has not been maintained as required.

Visit NSW Health for more information and relevant legislative documents.

Legionnaires Disease is a severe form of pneumonia. One of the strains of bacteria responsible, Legionella pneumophilia, is generally associated with contaminated water from places like cooling towers, spas, water systems or fountains.

The urban environment provides the perfect place for Legionnaires Disease to breed; water sitting between 35°C and 43°C, with corrosive by-products such as iron and zinc, and nutrients provided by algae). In Australia most outbreaks of the disease has been linking to water-cooling systems (referred to as regulated systems). These Cooling Towers are defined as:

  • A device for lowering the temperature of water or other liquid by evaporative cooling, or
  • An evaporative condenser which incorporates a device containing a refrigerant or heat exchanger.