Water Restoration in the STL Area: Categories of Water

It’s no secret to St. Louisans that flooding can be a major problem in the Saint Louis Metropolitan area. But it’s not only flooding that can cause water restoration issues within a home, bad water supply lines, exterior building neglect, and weather incidents can cause water damage problems and the need for water restoration work as well.

Which begs the question for many interested property owners or operators, are there different levels of risk for water that comes from different sources and travels through different paths? In other words, is some water damage better or worse than others? The answer is yes and the way water damage is classified for water restoration purposes is called the Categories of Water.

There are three Categories of Water that range from the least risk to damage and human health to the highest. Generally speaking, Category 1 requires the least amount of restoration work and Category 3 requires the most. The Categories of Water are explained in more detail below.

Category 1 Water

Category 1 water is water that is generated from a sanitary source so it does not pose a material risk to health via skin, ingestion, or inhalation to humans. Some examples of Category 1 water are water supply lines that have broken, toilet tanks that are leaking or broken, or refrigerator ice maker supply lines.

Category 1 water can degrade to Category 2 or 3 if it flows through a building or areas that have chemical or other contamination. The longer materials stay wet and microorganisms form, the greater the chance that a Category 1 becomes a Category 2 or Category 3 water. Odor can sometimes indicate that Category 1 water has become Category 2 or Category 3 water.

Category 2 Water

Water that contains a significant amount of contamination that has the potential to cause discomfort or sickness upon contact with humans. Category 2 water can include unsafe numbers of microorganisms or nutrients consumed by microorganisms and organic or inorganic material such as chemical or biological that can cause human health issues as well.

Included in Category 2 water are dishwater discharge or washing machine discharge or overflows, a toilet overflow that includes urine does not include feces, seepage due to hydrostatics pressure, broken aquariums, or punctured water beds, among many others.

Category 2 water can become worse and degrade to Category 3.

Category 2 water means more restoration work will have to be done and more materials replaced as Category 2 water is not only more destructive to building materials but it is also more dangerous to human health.

Category 3 Water

Water that is considered Category 3 is very contaminated water that can contain pathogenic, toxigenic, or other harmful agents that can cause significant negative human health reactions if humans come into contact with or consume the water.

Category 3 water examples include sewage, wasteline backflows, seawater flooding, rising waters from rivers, creeks, streams, or lakes, and other weather related events.

Category 3 water can contain trace to material levels of regulated or hazardous materials including pesticides and toxic organic compounds. The health of both the building inhabitants and workers is of great concern with Category 3 water and it can be especially harmful to the very young, very old, or those that have compromised immune systems.

The goal of a property restoration company is to prevent water damage from accelerating in its Categories, do as little replacement as possible and salvage as much as possible based on the Category of Water, and to minimize or materially reduce the potential harm to human health. Category of Water determination helps competent and knowledgeable water restoration property restorers develop the best possible plan after water damage strikes a building.

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About Disaster Emergency Services, LLC

Disaster Emergency Services (“DES”) provides professional cleaning and property resort services to the St. Louis metropolitan area and surrounding areas. Our Professional Cleaning services are available for non-disaster routine cleaning and disasters alike. DES also provides emergency restoration services that include professional cleaning in most instances where required. Check out our services list here:https://www.disasteremergencyservices.com/services/. Contact us today for a quote.