CARY – Leaders in Cary say residents who have reclaimed water service can now drink easy, as no other homes are getting reclaimed water in their drinking water taps.

"Clearly [we are] relieved in that we could go back to sort of that normal routine whether it was inside use, outside use, whatever that might be," said Cary resident John Tote.

Tote's home inside the Weston Manor subdivision was one of the 519 sites where the town tested the drinking water. This past Wednesday, water officials shut down the reclaimed water service and began the tests after finding four homes with reclaimed water in their drinking taps.

"Our initial reaction was one of concern, obviously, for ourselves, for our family, our neighbors," Tote explained.

Reclaimed water is treated but not the same way as drinking water. It is mainly for outdoor uses like watering. Town officials believe the water mix up happened during construction of the homes.

The town says it is already taking steps to make sure the mix up does not happen again. Water officials will test the drinking water twice in new homes within the reclaimed water service area. The town is also considering changing the size and color of the reclaimed water pipe to avoid confusion.

"We believe once we do that, it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for this kind of event to occur again," said Cary’s Assistant Town Manager Ben Shivar.

That is good news for Tote and anyone else who is planning to move into a new home with Cary's reclaimed water service.

“It's much better and that sense of relief is definitely there," Tote said.

The town says only three of the four homes found to have their water lines switched were occupied. Officials also say there is no data to show that the families who had been drinking the reclaimed water will have any lasting health effects.