BISMARCK, N.D. (NDDEQ) – The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality (NDDEQ) would like to remind building administrators, owners or managers, that periods of inactivity can cause lead leaching or bacterial growth in building water systems.

Proper flushing of plumbing before schools and other businesses reopen is essential to maintain water quality. Flushing water systems should be performed while the building is unoccupied and before reopening, if possible.

The NDDEQ recommends that facilitators who manage buildings with lead plumbing lines follow the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s “3Ts Flushing Best Practices” document at https://tinyurl.com/EPAflushingBP.

Plumbing maintenance procedures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control for all other buildings reopening after a prolonged shutdown are at https://tinyurl.com/CDCplumbing.

Please follow the appropriate protocol for flushing the plumbing in your building to prevent lead and legionella exposure. Learn more about how you can preserve environmental quality at the NDDEQ website located at https://deq.nd.gov.