As you know, since 2013 the Régie du Bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) requires that owners of water-cooling towers and evaporative condensers implement a rigorous program of regular maintenance, certified by a member of a professional order. The purpose of these obligations is better control the proliferation of the Legionella pneumophilia bacterium, which caused 180 cases of serious infection and 13 deaths in the Quebec City area in 2012.
"In that context, implementing and updating a monitoring system is also compulsory and subject to regular inspections by the RBQ. Keep in mind that the 2013 regulation requires owners of water-cooling towers to revise and update the maintenance log every 5 years (i.e. in 2018)", says Jack Kafesdjian, regional director at Engie Services and member of the BOMA Québec Integrated Technical Management Committee.
What does the cooling tower regulation require?
The regulation affects all water-cooling towers, be they industrial, commercial or institutional. It is up to the owner to comply with the demands of the legislation. Note that the owner of the water cooling tower is not necessarily the owner of the building.
In May 2014 the RBQ published a revision of the regulation in the Gazette officielle du Québec. It includes additional requirements to the legislation in force since May 2013.
Details about the regulation, as well as the new decree regarding the installation of water-cooling towers are available at:
The form used for forwarding the information required by the RBQ each year on March 1 is available at: