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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIt can contribute to risk in some building-plumbing systems, but water conservation or a green-building label does not by itself cause illness. Lower flow and reduced occupancy can leave water sitting longer in pipes, weakening disinfectant residuals and changing temperatures in ways that may favor microbial growth. Risk depends on the whole system and how it is designed and maintained.
How can water-saving measures affect building water quality?
Premise plumbing is the building-side water system between the service connection and taps, showers, and other outlets. When less water moves through that system, or parts of the building are used less often, water can remain in pipes and equipment for longer. This is called increased water age.
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Water age matters because disinfectant residual can diminish while water sits, and its temperature can shift. Dead ends, oversized plumbing volumes, unused outlets, and low occupancy can compound the effect. The U.S. EPA explains that stagnant water can change temperature and reduce disinfectant levels, creating conditions that provide opportunities for Legionella to grow: EPA guidance on Legionella in indoor environments. CDC likewise notes that slowly moving or stagnant water increases water age and can provide opportunities for Legionella growth: CDC guidance on monitoring building water.
Water conservation is one possible influence, not a diagnosis. Plumbing layout, hot-water settings, storage, recirculation, disinfectant residual, treatment equipment, fixture design, occupancy, and maintenance all affect conditions. NIST identifies the engineering challenge: modern buildings are expected to use water and related energy efficiently while protecting occupants, but lower use can make water quality harder to manage. Its Premise Plumbing Systems for High-Performance Buildings project describes this as an active technical knowledge need.
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What does the evidence show about green buildings and Legionella?
A 2023 peer-reviewed case study examined a LEED building with widespread colonization by Legionella pneumophila, the bacterium that can cause Legionnaires’ disease. The investigators identified several possible contributors: a low water-heater setting associated with growth-favorable temperatures, reduced occupancy and stagnation, colonized water-saving fixtures, a colonized water-softening system that could remove chlorine residual, and a colonized expansion tank. Flushing and thermal disinfection alone did not resolve the problem; replacing the expansion tank did. The authors did not establish water-saving fixtures as the sole cause. Read the Joshi et al. case study in Frontiers in Water.
This is a single complex building investigation, not evidence that green certification causes disease or that low-flow fixtures invariably contaminate water. The EPA lists the effects of low-flow fixtures and changes in flow on premise-plumbing water quality as research priorities, rather than presenting a universal illness estimate: EPA research priorities on water conservation and plumbing water quality.
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Is there a reliable number for how much risk water conservation adds?
No well-supported figure establishes how much green-building water conservation increases real-world illness incidence. A 2024 quantitative microbial risk assessment by Clements and colleagues modeled scenarios using water ages and Legionella pneumophila growth rates. Across the study’s modeled scenarios, the median annual modeled probability of clinically severe illness was one to three orders of magnitude below 10−4. These are model outputs under the study’s assumptions, not observed rates in building populations and not a general estimate of risk in green buildings. See the study in Environmental Science & Technology.
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The same study modeled purging interventions for one-occupant homes. Scheduled purging one or two times per day reduced modeled severe-illness probability by 39–43% in those scenarios. Smart purging maintained those modeled lower probabilities while using 45–62% less additional water than scheduled purging. These are comparisons within a model, not field guarantees or a universal flushing prescription.
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What should building owners and designers assess?
CDC guidance treats Legionella prevention as a building water-management task, not a matter of choosing one supposedly safe fixture or technology. The system should be assessed as a whole, with monitoring locations and maintenance responsibilities built into a water management program.
- Flow and water age: Check remote outlets, dead ends, low-use fixtures, and areas affected by reduced or seasonal occupancy. Identify dead legs and other sections where water can remain stagnant.
- Temperature and mixing: Track hot- and cold-water temperatures through the system and assess where mixing occurs. CDC advises placing thermostatic mixing valves close to fixtures as part of potable-water system design.
- Disinfectant and treatment equipment: Consider whether softeners, filters, storage equipment, or other components may change disinfectant residual or create colonization sites. A control approach suitable for one plumbing system may not suit another.
- Layout and equipment: Review pipe sizing, storage volume, recirculation, and equipment placement. CDC advises eliminating dead legs, sizing storage tanks appropriately, and considering potential Legionella risks from low-flow or mechanically complex fixtures, including electronic sensor faucets.
- Monitoring and maintenance: Establish who will monitor water quality and temperatures, inspect equipment, maintain fixtures, and respond to changes in occupancy. Include the labor and water burden of flushing or other interventions in the plan.
- Water and energy goals: Evaluate conservation alongside microbial and chemical water quality. Reducing consumption should not be treated as proof that a building’s plumbing remains safe, nor should efficiency goals be abandoned without a system-specific reason.
CDC’s guidance for controlling Legionella in potable water systems gives further design and management considerations. EPA notes that premise-plumbing control approaches depend on the system and does not recommend one universal treatment technology: EPA overview of Legionella control technologies.
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Why is microbial safety not the only concern?
Prolonged low use can also contribute to corrosion and release of metals such as lead and copper from plumbing materials. A building water-safety assessment should therefore consider chemical as well as microbial water quality. The hazards and appropriate response depend on the building’s materials, system, and use history.
This matters especially after a prolonged shutdown or a period of reduced occupancy. CDC’s reopening guidance advises checking building water hazards before reopening and discusses Legionella, mold, and lead and copper. Stagnant hot water may cool into conditions favorable to Legionella, while stagnation may also contribute to corrosion and metal release.
Should a building simply flush its plumbing more often?
Not automatically. Flushing uses water, and the appropriate approach depends on the building’s plumbing, hazards, occupancy, and management plan. It can also generate aerosols, so the procedure should account for system-specific risks rather than follow a schedule copied from another building. The modeled purging results above do not establish a universal schedule.
For reduced-occupancy or reopening situations, building owners should follow applicable public-health and drinking-water guidance and involve qualified facility or plumbing expertise. CDC’s water-management considerations for healthcare facilities offer additional guidance for that setting; they should not be treated as a substitute for assessing a different building type.
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