ECOLAB INC. — Director's Dealing 2011

Nov 16, 2011

SEC Form 4 — Statement of Changes in Beneficial Ownership

Issuer: ECOLAB INC (ECL)
CIK: 0000031462
Period of Report: 2011-11-11

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

Non-Derivative Transactions

Date	Security	Code	Shares	Price	A/D	Holdings After	Ownership
2011-11-11	Common Stock	M	8000	$18.96	Acquired	11343	Direct
2011-11-11	Common Stock	F	4450	$55.625	Disposed	6893	Direct

Derivative Transactions

Date	Security	Exercise Price	Code	Shares	A/D	Expiration	Underlying	Ownership
2011-11-11	Employee Stock Option (Right to Buy)	$18.96	M	8000	Disposed	2011-12-06	Common Stock (8000)	Direct

Holdings (Non-Derivative)

Security	Shares	Ownership
Common Stock	1555.151	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 October 31, 2011. Includes 49.286 UNITS acquired since the reporting person's last report. (The 1,555.151 UNITS are the equivalent of approximtely 2,897 shares of the issuer's Common Stock.)

F3: Option granted under the Ecolab Inc. 1997 Stock Incentive Plan 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 shares on the third anniversary of the date of grant.