In the midst of an annual state safety inspection last week, Northampton County's Gracedale nursing home administrator Millard "Dee" Herman discovered he was in hot water ... literally. For reasons that were initially unclear, the hot water in resident sinks was scalding hot.

State officials placed the home in immediate jeopardy status, but in two-and-a-half hours, the problem was under control, though the solution is still a few days away.

Why would hot water worry administrators? "Hot water can be a serious issue when you have dementia patients," explained Herman, who noted some residents could scald themselves without even realizing it.

A boiler reaching temperatures of up to 190 degrees was initially thought to be the culprit. But the real source was eventually identified to be defective pneumatic steam valves that are more than 50 years old. Replacements must be specially manufactured and will be unavailable until next week.

More than 400 residents located in the tower are unaffected, noted Herman, who thanked Northampton County Executive John Brown and Public Works Director Steve DeSalva for their efforts in identifying the problem. They both spent a good portion of the weekend at the Nazareth facility. Brown said he's no engineer, but his goal at Gracedale is "zero tolerance" for maintenance issues.

"Gracedale's a good name for us," said Freeman at the March 6 county council meeting. "We seem to get by with grace every night."