Determining the Category of Water Damage Part 1

Preliminary Determination vs. Assessment & Testing

• The first is called Category 1 and means the water comes from a “clean” source (e.g., water from the kitchen sink or its water supply line) and has remained clean. Category 1 water is safe to handle and process (i.e., the water damage technician can go about drying the structure without concern of the water causing disease or serious illness or death).
• Category 2 water isn’t clean, but it’s not pathogenic or toxigenic, either. It does have the potential to cause disease if ingested or absorbed (e.g., through cuts), so, for this reason, there are special procedures that a water damage restoration technician must employ when addressing such situations, for the safety and health of themselves and other building occupants.
• Category 3 water is grossly contaminated and can contain pathogenic, toxigenic, or other harmful agents. These agents can cause serious illness and, even, death to those exposed to the contaminated water; as a result, these types of water damages require more complex and costly procedures and systems than those employed in Category 1 and 2 water damage restoration projects. The purpose of such procedures and systems is to assure worker and other building occupants' health while protecting non-impacted areas while work is performed that will return the indoor environment to its normal ecological disposition.

In a future blog, I’ll touch on what an IEP assessment might look like. Suffice it to say, for now, that the process is multifaceted to determine things like the water’s cleanliness, the water’s location, the type of building materials impacted, the potential for risk to workers and other building occupants, and the protocol for remediation (i.e., a corrective action plan) where contaminated water is observed. Such a determination of water cleanliness and its potential to cause harm to occupying persons may include a single-phased laboratory analysis of sample(s) collected by the IEP or may include a multi-phase laboratory analysis... For example, when a known sewage backup has occurred and the extent of its impact on the indoor environment is needed, a simple sewage-screening analytical method may be appropriate; however, if a question arises over whether a Category 1, 2 or 3 water damage exists due to a potential or suspected source or deterioration of water (e.g., water entering through the roof during a hurricane), a multi-phase laboratory approach (e.g., sewage-screening, Heterotrophic Plate Count (HPC), and/or Bacteria Genus ID per organism (BGI)) may be required to reliably determine whether the waterborne pathogens are present, to what extent, and to what risk exists in the impacted rooms. 

If you find yourself in a situation where a preliminary determination can’t determine the Category of water damage in your home or office, contact Gulf Coast Center for Indoor Air Quality Services and let’s discuss how we can serve you.