Hendricks Hall Drinking Water Update

On July 31, EHS tested all drinking water fixtures in Hendricks Hall on request of building users due to discoloration. Testing included the basement faucet and drinking fountains / bottle fill stations on floors 1 – 3. The results indicated:

  • Elevated lead in the 2nd & 3rd floor drinking fountains (27.1 & 56.7 PPB)
  • Lead well below the action level of 15 PPB in the first-floor drinking fountain (4.29 PPB) and below the detection limits in the basement kitchenette (<2 PPB).
  • Water in all drinking fountain fixtures was slightly discolored due to high iron content. Iron is a by-product of water that sits in the plumbing during periods of low building use and is considered a secondary contaminant by the EPA. That is, it affects taste and appearance of the water, as opposed to the health of building users. The basement water was not discolored when EHS collected its initial samples.

EHS tagged fixtures showing elevated lead content as soon as it received the results. CPFM then ordered filters, which should significantly reduce both lead and iron content, and installed them on Friday, August 23. EHS collected confirmation samples, which are pending analysis; results should arrive Friday or Tuesday.

In the meantime, the current situation is as follows:

  • First-floor drinking fountain/bottle fill station and the faucet in the basement kitchenette are safe to use.
  • Filters have been installed on the 2nd & 3rd floor drinking fountains, and confirmation samples have been collected. The fixtures will remain tagged until we receive confirmation results showing that lead levels have been reduced to below the action level. Please note that the signage was mistakenly removed when the samples were collected and has been replaced.

Analytical results will be posted on line at https://safety.uoregon.edu/drinking-water-monitoring this afternoon, August 28. Please let me know if there are any questions.

Building Sciences Manager Adam Jones, 541-346-8397, asjones@uoregon.edu