Fountains and other public drinking sources are back in service at the law school, following extensive water testing throughout the building.
The drinking water was taken off-line on Aug. 5 after workers from Centex Corp. allowed water from the chilled water system, which contained chemical additives, to enter the drinking water system. The workers had been flushing new chilled water lines in the law school's building addition. [See earlier story.]
Since then, the law school's water lines have been flushed repeatedly and plastic tubing that connects to coffee and drink machines has been replaced. Water coolers were set up throughout the building for students, faculty and staff.
Dr. George Jackson, director of Duke's Employee Occupational Health and Wellness Office, said the latest tests of the water supply indicate no detectable levels of the additives. One of these, tolytiriazole, is a sodium salt used to prevent pipes from corroding. The others, glutaraldehyde and methanol, are used to prevent the growth of bacteria.