methods products and processes as disclosed in u s patent application ser no 11 700 643 filed jan 31 2007 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety the present teachings provide a method of preventing mineral scale and deposition within a cooling tower the cooling tower containing cooling water contained therein wherein the method comprises adding each of the core components of phosphonobutane tricarboxylic acid pbct a polyacrylic acid species pas polymaleic acid pm and softened water individually or in any combination of admixtures so as to maintain a level of pbct in the treated cooling water of from about6 mg l to about 14 mg l in some embodiments the methods of the present teachings can comprise using a biocide for control of biological growth within a cooling tower and associated system any biocide or combination of biocides can be employed for example the biocide can comprise bromine in some embodiments the biocide can comprise electrolytic bromine as the sole biocide as described for example in u s patent application ser no 11 807 402 filed may 29 2007 which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety other biocides that can be utilized with acceptable results include one or more of ozone chlorine dioxide chlorine sodium hypochlorite various organic biocides hydrogen peroxide combinations thereof and the like in accordance with the present teachings an exemplary composition for controlling calcium scale and deposition.