ECOLAB INC. — Director's Dealing 2010

Aug 3, 2010

SEC Form 4 — Statement of Changes in Beneficial Ownership

Issuer: ECOLAB INC (ECL)
CIK: 0000031462
Period of Report: 2010-07-30

Reporting Person: Corkrean John J (VP & Corporate Controller)

Non-Derivative Transactions

Date	Security	Code	Shares	Price	A/D	Holdings After	Ownership
2010-07-30	Common Stock	M	8200	$19.2656	Acquired	8201	Direct
2010-07-30	Common Stock	F	4858	$48.805	Disposed	3343	Direct

Derivative Transactions

Date	Security	Exercise Price	Code	Shares	A/D	Expiration	Underlying	Ownership
2010-07-30	Employee Stock Option (Right to Buy)	$19.2656	M	8200	Disposed	2010-08-18	Common Stock (8200)	Direct

Holdings (Non-Derivative)

Security	Shares	Ownership
Common Stock	1495.772	Indirect

Footnotes

F1: Reflects the reporting person's payment of the exercise price and withholding taxes for a stock option issued in accordance with Rule 16b-3 by withholding shares of Ecolab Common Stock.

F2: Number of UNITS in the Ecolab Stock Fund of the Ecolab Savings Plan (401(k) Plan) as of June 30, 2010. Includes 41.177 UNITS acquired since the reporting person's last report. (The 1,495.772 UNITS are the equivalent of approximately 2,795 SHARES of the issuer's Common Stock.)

F3: Option granted under the Ecolab Inc. 1997 Stock Incentive Plan on August 18, 2000. The option became exercisable, on a cumulative basis, as to one-third of the option shares (excluding any fractional portion less than one share), on each of the first and second anniversaries of the date of grant and as to the remaining option shares on the third anniversary of the date of grant.