Update: April 11, 2008 | FAQs(see below)

Water testing update: all buildings now clear

Results of the testing on water supplies to the four remaining buildings impacted by Monday’s water pressure disturbance were negative. These buildings, Butler-Carlton Civil Engineering Building, Curtis Laws Wilson Library, Emerson Hall and the Physics Building, have been cleared and it is OK to use and consume the water.

Building coordinators in these buildings may take down all warning signs.

Water supply to all campus buildings is clear.

Update: April 9, 2008

Water testing update: many buildings cleared

Results from the testing of water supplies in 12 campus buildings (listed below) are in and are negative. Water in those buildings has been cleared for usage and consumption.

Water lines in the four remaining buildings have been flushed. Water samples will be taken Thursday morning for additional testing and results can be expected sometime Friday. Please continue to refrain from using or consuming water in these buildings until otherwise notified.

Updates will be posted at ice.mst.edu as they become available.

The following buildings are still impacted. Water should not be used or consumed in these buildings:

• Emerson Electric Hall
• Butler-Carlton Civil Engineering Building
• Curtis Laws Wilson Library
• Physics Building

The following buildings have been cleared as of 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, April 9:

• University Center-East
• Schrenk Hall
• Norwood Hall
• Parker Hall
• Computer Science
• ERL
• MRC (Straumanis Hall)
• Engineering Management
• Rolla Building
• Toomey Hall
• Humanities-Social Sciences
• Castleman Hall

The following buildings were not impacted:

• Interdisciplinary Engineering
• Harris Hall
• Fulton Hall
• McNutt Hall
• Havener Center
• Gale-Bullman Multi-Purpose Building
• Rock Mechanics
• Bureau of Mines (all buildings)
• Student Design Center Shop Facility
• Campus Support Facility
• Murray Apartments
• Southwestern Bell Cultural Center
• Campus townhouses
• Student Health Service
• 1304 Pine St. Building
• Reactor Facility
• Residential College 1, 2 and 3
• Quad (all buildings)
• Thomas Jefferson Residence Halls
• Golf Course
• Chancellor’s Residence
• General Services
• Nagogami

Previous information (April 8, 2008)

On Monday, April 7, physical facilities staff at Missouri University of Science and Technology discovered a possible compromise in the campus water system. The problems are confined to the Missouri S&T campus.

Officials determined that pressure disturbances had caused water used for heating and cooling systems on campus to mix with drinkable water in some buildings. As a precaution, the campus community was advised not to use or consume the water.

Officials began testing water supplies at various points on campus and narrowed down the buildings impacted. It was determined that the city’s water supply has not been impacted. Test results are expected later this week.

In the meantime, bottled water and hand sanitizers are being provided to all affected buildings. Signs have been posted in campus buildings advising students and employees not to use the water.

Because they are on a different water system, Missouri S&T residence halls and cafeterias were not impacted. There have been no reports of sickness due to drinking water on campus.

Water-supply testing is ongoing in the following buildings:

• Butler-Carlton Civil Engineering Building
• Castleman Hall
• Computer Science Building
• Curtis Laws Wilson Library
• Emerson Electric Hall
• Engineering Management Building
• Engineering Research Lab
• Humanities-Social Sciences Building
• Materials Research Center (Straumanis Hall)
• Norwood Hall
• Parker Hall
• Physics Building
• Rolla Building
• Schrenk Hall
• Toomey Hall
• University Center-East

The following buildings were not impacted by Monday’s water pressure disturbances. It is OK to use water in these buildings:

• 1304 Pine St. Building
• Bureau of Mines (all buildings)
• Campus Support Facility
• Campus townhouses
• Chancellor’s Residence
• Fulton Hall
• Gale-Bullman Multi-Purpose Building
• General Services Building
• Harris Hall
• Havener Center
• Interdisciplinary Engineering
• McNutt Hall
• Missouri S&T Golf Course
• Murray Apartments
• Nagogami
• Quadrangle (all buildings)
• Residential College 1, 2 and 3
• Rock Mechanics and Explosives Research Center
• Southwestern Bell Cultural Center
• Student Design Center Shop Facility
• Student Health Services
• Thomas Jefferson Residence Halls

Officials from the Department of Natural Resources, the Phelps County Health Department and the Rolla Municipal Utilities provided consultation.

Any questions related to city water supply can be directed to Rodney Bourne, operations and public relations coordinator for Rolla Municipal Utilities, at 573-364-2195.

FAQ:  Water Quality Issue

What happened?

A loss of water in the chilled water loop was discovered Friday, April 4. The chilled water loop, a closed-loop system used for campus heating and cooling, houses approximately 25,000 gallons of water and requires soft water and water treatment to operate properly. Due to leaks, the loop periodically requires some replenishment from a campus soft water (potable) supply system. A suspected pressure differential caused some of the chilled water to back flow into the soft water supply system.

Timeline of events:

Friday, April 4

A loss of water in the chilled water loop was discovered Friday, April 4. A leak in the water system was suspected. Physical facilities conducted an underground search where leaks typically occur, but found no leak. Physical facilities placed a non-hazardous green dye in the water to help identify the leak.

Monday, April 7

Early morning:The search for the water leak continued. The crossover in water lines was discovered Monday afternoon, and university officials began working to find the cause and resolve the problem.

3:45 p.m.:     Officials from physical facilities, environmental health and safety, administrative services and communications met to review the situation. As a precautionary measure, officials closed the water supply from the buildings affected.

By identifying which buildings have separate water supplies, officials were able to determine which buildings were affected. Because meals were being prepared for student dining services, the primary concern was the residence halls and the Havener Center. Once it was determined the buildings’ water supplies were not affected, the group reviewed remaining buildings and narrowed the list to 19 buildings that could possibly have been affected. That list was later reduced to 16.

4:15 p.m.:     A short email notice was sent to all faculty, staff and students cautioning them not to drink the water in the suspect buildings.

By 5 p.m.:     Staff from EHS and communications completed placing signs on all accessible drinking fountains in the suspect buildings warning against drinking the water as a precaution.

6 p.m.:          Missouri S&T plumbers began taking samples from Emerson Hall, Butler-Carlton Civil Engineering Building, and Curtis Laws Wilson Library to begin testing.

6:30 p.m.      A more detailed email message was sent to faculty, staff and students explaining the situation and again warning not to drink the water.

Tuesday, April 8

Early morning:Water samples from the following buildings were taken and sent to an independent water consultant: Schrenk Hall, Rolla Building, University Center-East, Norwood Hall, Interdisciplinary Engineering Building, Toomey Hall, Parker Hall, Fulton Hall, Computer Science Building, Humanities-Social Sciences Building, Materials Research Center, Engineering Research Laboratory, Harris Hall, Castleman Hall and Engineering Management Building, as well as a control sample from McNutt Hall.

Physical facilities began flushing the water lines in the four main buildings affected: Butler-Carlton Civil Engineering Building, Curtis Laws Wilson Library, Emerson Hall and the Physics Building.

As a precaution, hand-washing was restricted and building contacts were asked to place additional signage on water fountains and restrooms. Physical facilities purchased and distributed bottled water and hand sanitizer for affected buildings.

13 samples (1 control sample and samples from 12 affected buildings) were sent to Anderson & Associates Consulting Engineers (Ozark Testing), a certified lab, to test for bacteria. The lab selection was approved by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Phelps County Health Department.

12:15 p.m.:    An update was sent to all faculty, staff and students again listing affected buildings.

3:15 p.m.:     An email notice was sent to all faculty, staff and students explaining that because of delays in the testing, bottled water and hand sanitizer would be delivered to the suspect buildings.

Wednesday, April 9

Late afternoon: Test results from the control sample and the first 12 buildings came back all clear.

5 p.m.:          An email notice was sent to all faculty, staff and students announcing that water supplies in 12 buildings had been cleared. Building contacts in those buildings were asked to remove warning signs from fountains and restrooms.

Thursday, April 10

Early morning:Physical facilities continued thorough flushing of the water lines in the four remaining affected buildings and took water samples to send to Anderson & Associates Consulting Engineers (Ozark Testing).

4:30 p.m.: An email notice was sent to fall faculty, staff and students reminding them not to consume the water and announcing that test results were expected by Friday afternoon.

Friday, April 11

Early morning:    Environmental health and safety staff began ultraviolet testing with assistance from physical facilities on all water outlets in four affected buildings to look for fluorescence from the dye. None was found.

Early afternoon:       Test results from Anderson & Associates came back all clear.

1:45 p.m.:     An email notice was sent to all faculty, staff and students to clear all buildings. Building contacts in the remaining buildings were asked to remove signage from drinking fountains and restrooms.

Has it happened before?

There are no records or recollection of this previously occurring.  Dye is routinely added to the chilled water lines to find leaks.  Leaks have occurred, but they have not previously compromised campus drinking water.

What has been done to prevent future occurrences?

Physical facilities installed a backflow valve where it had previously been missing in Emerson Hall. Plans are under way to survey all non-potable water connections to ensure there is either an air gap or a backflow device at every juncture.

Who was involved in dealing with the problem?

Campus staff from physical facilities, environmental health and safety, administrative services, communications, student health services

Representatives from Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Rolla Municipal Utilities, Phelps/Maries County Health Department

Water consultants: Anderson & Associates Consulting Engineers (Ozark Testing), Water & Energy Systems Technology Inc. of Mesa, Ariz. Water & Energy Systems Technology provides advice on how to treat campus water and boiler equipment on a monthly basis.

What chemicals or contaminants could have been in the drinking water?

Non-carcinogenic chemicals that are not highly toxic consisting of two biocides used in the piping system to kill bacteria that could affect equipment operation, one oxygen depleter to reduce corrosion in the system, one chemical to control the PH levels, a non-hazardous green dye to determine location of leaks. Materials safety data sheets (MSDS) are on file for each chemical in environmental health and safety.

Were ethylene glycol and alcohol present?

Ethylene glycol and alcohol were not and have never been in the system.

What was the level of the chemicals?

Levels of sulfide are kept constant in the chilled water loop to keep the equipment working properly. The oxygen depleter (30 lbs.) and the PH control (1.5 gallons) were last added to the chilled water loop on Tuesday, April 1. No biocides have been added to the loop in the past several weeks, as testing revealed no need for biocide additives.

Following the leak, fresh water was added to the system, further diluting any chemicals present.

What are the potential dangers of the chemicals?

The chemicals are not carcinogenic and are not highly toxic. If highly concentrated, the chemicals could have caused vomiting and diarrhea. This was not life-threatening. MSDS sheets on each chemical are available from Environmental Health and Safety.

What buildings were affected?

• Butler-Carlton Civil Engineering Building
• Castleman Hall
• Computer Science
• Curtis Laws Wilson Library
• Emerson Electric Hall
• Engineering Management
• ERL
• Humanities-Social Sciences
• MRC (Straumanis Hall)
• Norwood Hall
• Parker Hall
• Physics Building
• Rolla Building
• Schrenk Hall
• Toomey Hall
• University Center-East

What buildings were not affected?

• 1304 Pine St. Building
• Bureau of Mines (all buildings)
• Campus Support Facility
• Campus townhouses
• Chancellor’s Residence
• Fulton Hall
• Gale-Bullman Multi-Purpose Building
• General Services
• Golf Course
• Harris Hall
• Havener Center
• Interdisciplinary Engineering
• McNutt Hall
• Murray Apartments
• Nagogami
• Quad (all buildings)
• Reactor Facility
• Residential College 1, 2 and 3
• Rock Mechanics
• Southwestern Bell Cultural Center
• Student Design Center Shop Facility
• Student Health Service
• Thomas Jefferson Residence Halls

Was anyone’s health affected?  If so, how many?

There have been no confirmed cases of health problems attributable to the water issue. Student Health Services has the MSDS sheets on file, as do the Phelps County Health Department and Phelps County Regional Medical Center.

Why wasn’t the Mass Notification System used?

The manager of public relations and/or the director of communications make the decision to enact the MNS. Because the situation was never viewed as being life-threatening and any actions taken were simply a precaution, we decided the situation did not warrant notification. Had there been a threat to the lives of faculty, staff or students, we would have enacted the system.  We don’t want to cause undue alarm or subject text users to fees unless absolutely necessary.