diff --git a/src/OpenVolumeMesh/Attribs/NormalAttrib.hh b/src/OpenVolumeMesh/Attribs/NormalAttrib.hh
index 616273b04a09360154c67b6cb40e7e60ab869e79..f6003815d6611a357c72b94807e0f0e42a907185 100644
--- a/src/OpenVolumeMesh/Attribs/NormalAttrib.hh
+++ b/src/OpenVolumeMesh/Attribs/NormalAttrib.hh
@@ -94,27 +94,21 @@ public:
 
     typename GeomKernelT::PointT& operator[](const VertexHandle& _h) {
         assert((unsigned int)_h.idx() < kernel_.n_vertices());
-        vertex_normals_available_ = true;
         return v_normals_[_h.idx()];
     }
 
     typename GeomKernelT::PointT& operator[](const FaceHandle& _h) {
         assert((unsigned int)_h.idx() < kernel_.n_faces());
-        face_normals_available_ = true;
         return f_normals_[_h.idx()];
     }
 
     typename GeomKernelT::PointT operator[](const HalfFaceHandle& _h) {
         assert((unsigned int)_h.idx() < kernel_.n_halffaces());
-        face_normals_available_ = true;
         double mult = 1.0;
         if(_h.idx() % 2 == 1) mult = -1.0;
         return f_normals_[kernel_.face_handle(_h).idx()] * mult;
     }
 
-    bool vertex_normals_available() { return vertex_normals_available_; }
-    bool face_normals_available()   { return face_normals_available_;  }
-
 private:
 
     void compute_vertex_normal(const VertexHandle& _vh);
@@ -126,9 +120,6 @@ private:
     VertexPropertyT<typename GeomKernelT::PointT> v_normals_;
     FacePropertyT<typename GeomKernelT::PointT> f_normals_;
 
-
-    bool vertex_normals_available_;
-    bool face_normals_available_;
 };
 
 } // Namespace OpenVolumeMesh
diff --git a/src/OpenVolumeMesh/Attribs/NormalAttribT.cc b/src/OpenVolumeMesh/Attribs/NormalAttribT.cc
index 0f9a62f812cd7c4d29026a538a8a178bf424b9ca..dd813658c1c8a6f4f01cd8a31cefbd024c371a59 100644
--- a/src/OpenVolumeMesh/Attribs/NormalAttribT.cc
+++ b/src/OpenVolumeMesh/Attribs/NormalAttribT.cc
@@ -54,9 +54,7 @@ template <class GeomKernelT>
 NormalAttrib<GeomKernelT>::NormalAttrib(GeomKernelT& _kernel) :
 kernel_(_kernel),
 v_normals_(_kernel.template request_vertex_property<typename GeomKernelT::PointT>("vertex_normals")),
-f_normals_(_kernel.template request_face_property<typename GeomKernelT::PointT>("face_normals")),
-vertex_normals_available_(false),
-face_normals_available_(false)
+f_normals_(_kernel.template request_face_property<typename GeomKernelT::PointT>("face_normals"))
 {
 
 }
@@ -80,8 +78,6 @@ void NormalAttrib<GeomKernelT>::update_vertex_normals() {
     for(VertexIter v_it = kernel_.v_iter(); v_it.valid(); ++v_it) {
         compute_vertex_normal(*v_it);
     }
-
-    vertex_normals_available_ = true;
 }
 
 template <class GeomKernelT>
@@ -97,7 +93,6 @@ void NormalAttrib<GeomKernelT>::update_face_normals() {
         // first two edges
         compute_face_normal(*f_it);
     }
-    face_normals_available_ = true;
 }
 
 template <class GeomKernelT>