The City of The Dalles is recommending owners and operators of commercial buildings flush out their building’s water system with fresh water from City mains before reopening for business.   Buildings with low or no occupancy for several weeks likely have water that has stagnated in building pipes.   Stagnant water may or may not taste different or be discolored, but long periods of low or no water use in buildings can allow bacteria to grow.  Remove aerators, pre-rinse spray valves, and showerheads before flushing stale water from the pipes.  Run cold water from all fully opened faucets in the building for at least 5 minutes.  Change all water filters, then run water coolers, drinking fountains and refrigerator taps connected to the tap water supply for at least 5 minutes.  If you have an automatic ice maker, make three batches of ice cubes and throw away all three batches.