Coolant Fouls Bank’s Water

Tenants and customers in a downtown Spokane building were warned not to use the drinking fountains Wednesday, after the water from some faucets turned pink.

Coolant from the Seafirst Bank building’s heating system was sucked into the building’s domestic water system while crews were doing routine maintenance, said David Tye, building manager.

The coolant contains sodium nitrate, which helps prevent corrosion in the heating system. Health officials said they received no reports of illness caused by the problem.

The contamination was limited to the building’s basement, the first floor and the second floor, Tye said.

People exercising at Sta-Fit Athletic Club, in the basement, were told not to take showers shortly after the problem was spotted about 7 a.m., he said.

The showers were back in use after flushing the system for about an hour. Drinking fountains in the 13-story building at W601 Riverside should be back in use today, Tye said.

The problem, called back-flow, did not affect water to other buildings downtown, said Frank Triplet, assistant supervisor of the city water department. xxxx