Dear Colgate Community,
Students returning to campus this week will notice that temporary water filters certified for lead reduction, and spring-water dispensers, remain in place at all buildings identified last semester as having elevated lead levels. As a reminder, all of the bottle filling stations on campus are filtered to remove lead, and all kitchens in buildings affected by this water issue have been fitted with temporary tap filters certified for lead reduction.
Prior to winter recess Colgate entered into a contract with GHD, a global leader in integrated water management, to conduct an in-depth study of the systems that supply Colgate’s buildings with water on and off campus, and to investigate potential lead sources within these buildings. Strategic water testing by Colgate’s Environmental Health and Safety staff continues, and all of the University’s results, along with answers to frequently asked questions, are available online.
GHD is now in the process of reviewing data that has been collected to date, and they are actively planning a path forward to solve this issue, working in tandem with the Village of Hamilton and their contracted engineering firm.
Water filters and coolers will remain in place until these two engineering firms complete their investigatory work and a permanent mitigation plan is in place.
Thank you all for your patience as we work through this issue. We will continue to share updates with the campus community as they become available.
Sincerely,
Mary Williams
Director of Environmental Health and Safety