Independent Technical Authority

Industrial Water Treatment Expert Witness

Credentialed independent expertise for cooling tower failures, heat exchanger fouling, Legionella liability, and vendor performance disputes — available for plaintiff and defense engagements.

Key Credentials
  • 25+ years industrial cooling water — field & program management
  • Former Director of Marketing, Nalco Water (Downstream/IMEA)
  • Vendor-neutral — no service company affiliations or conflicts
  • Deep expertise: cooling towers, heat exchangers, Legionella, scale & corrosion
  • Industry coverage: refineries, petrochemical, power, HVAC, food & pharma

What Is at Stake in Water Treatment Litigation

Industrial water treatment failures — cooling tower scale, heat exchanger fouling, Legionella outbreaks, corrosion-driven equipment damage — generate significant legal exposure for both facility operators and service companies. These cases require an expert who can read water chemistry data, interpret treatment logs, evaluate vendor compliance, and explain complex chemistry to a judge or jury in plain terms.

Production Loss & Equipment Damage

Scale deposits, corrosion, and fouling cause unplanned shutdowns, condenser tube failures, and heat exchanger degradation. Quantifying the causal link between water treatment program failure and equipment loss requires first-principles chemistry and failure mode analysis.

Legionella Liability

Legionella outbreak litigation involves the most serious personal injury and wrongful death claims in water treatment. The central question — whether the treatment program, water management plan, and field execution met the applicable standard of care — demands deep expertise in ASHRAE 188, biocide science, and microbiological monitoring.

Vendor Contract Disputes

Claims that a water treatment vendor failed to control scale, corrosion, or biological growth per contract hinge on whether the program design, chemical dosing, and monitoring protocols met applicable industry standards — ASHRAE, AWWA, and OSHA — given the actual makeup water chemistry and operating conditions.

When Your Facility Is at the Center of a Water Treatment Dispute

Facility operators can find themselves on either side of water treatment litigation: pursuing a vendor for program failure that caused measurable damage, or defending against Legionella or environmental claims where the quality of your treatment program is the central issue. In both scenarios, the technical record determines the outcome.

Equipment Damage Claims

Corrosion, scale, or fouling caused heat exchanger failure, production loss, or unplanned shutdown. Independent analysis of water chemistry records, treatment logs, and failure mode — distinguishing water treatment program failure from equipment defects, process upsets, or operational error.

Vendor Performance Disputes

Incumbent vendor failed to control scale, corrosion, or biological growth per contract. Independent assessment of program adequacy against industry standards — ASHRAE, AWWA, OSHA — evaluating whether the chemistry selection, dosing, and monitoring were appropriate for your makeup water quality and operating conditions.

Legionella Outbreak Liability

Facility operator named in Legionella-related litigation. Expert review of water management plan quality, treatment records, tower inspection history, and regulatory compliance — ASHRAE 188, NYC Local Law 77, and applicable state regulations — to assess the defensibility of your program.

Insurance Subrogation

Insurer seeks recovery for cooling system damage. Independent root-cause determination that distinguishes water treatment program failure from equipment manufacturing defects, improper installation, or operational error — providing the technical foundation for subrogation claims or defense.

When Your Program Performance Is Under Scrutiny

Water treatment service companies face claims that their program failed — causing corrosion damage, scale deposits, Legionella growth, or production loss. Independent expert analysis often determines whether the program met the applicable industry standard of care, and whether the claimed damages are causally linked to the treatment program rather than facility operating conditions beyond the vendor's control.

Program Adequacy Defense

Independent technical review of whether the treatment program, chemical dosing, and monitoring protocols met the industry standard of care given the makeup water chemistry, system metallurgy, and operating conditions in effect during the claim period.

Specification Disputes

Were the contractual performance specifications measurable, reasonable, and achievable given the facility's makeup water quality and operating constraints? Technical analysis of whether the specifications reflected industry norms or imposed unachievable requirements.

Legionella Program Review

Independent assessment of water management plan quality, field execution documentation, biocide program design, and regulatory compliance to support defense against outbreak liability claims. Evaluation of whether the program met ASHRAE 188 and applicable regulatory requirements.

Competing Expert Rebuttal

Review and written rebuttal of opposing expert's technical claims regarding chemistry, treatment adequacy, or causation. Line-by-line technical analysis addressing specific assertions about inhibitor chemistry, saturation indices, biological growth mechanisms, or fouling causation.

Why This Matters in Industrial Water Treatment Litigation

Most water treatment disputes involve highly technical chemistry — saturation index calculations, inhibitor dosing models, heat transfer fouling analysis, microbiological monitoring standards — that general engineering experts cannot address at depth. The quality of the technical analysis often determines the outcome of mediation, deposition, or trial.

Available for plaintiff and defense engagements. Discuss your case confidentially.

Discuss Your Case

How to Engage

Expert witness engagements begin with a brief, confidential consultation at no charge. If the case is a fit and there are no conflicts, a formal retainer is established before substantive work begins.

Initial Consultation (no charge)

A brief call to discuss case facts, technical issues, timeline, and scope. This conversation is confidential. No retainer is required for the initial consultation.

Case Review & Retainer

Review of available technical records — treatment logs, water chemistry data, inspection reports, analytical results, and correspondence. Conflict check completed. Retainer established before work proceeds.

Expert Report & Testimony

Written expert report with technical analysis and opinions. Deposition preparation, deposition testimony, and trial testimony as the case requires. Available for both state and federal proceedings.

Available for both plaintiff and defense engagements. All engagements are accepted subject to conflict review. Availability for new engagements may vary by timing.

Ready to discuss your case? The initial consultation is confidential and at no charge.

Schedule Initial Consultation

Specialized Expert Witness Coverage

Industry-specific and geographic expert witness resources for industrial water treatment litigation.

Ready to Discuss Your Case?

Initial consultations are confidential and at no charge. Engagements available for plaintiff and defense — subject to conflict review.