This story is no longer being updated as of Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. For the most recent coverage, see the News section of the website.
6:59 p.m.
Water service has now been restored following the completion of repairs and the re-pressurization of the water distribution system, the city of Meadville announced in a press release shortly before 7 p.m. The city noted that some individuals affected may continue to experience delays and snags in service as the system is returned to full function.
A boil water advisory remains in effect. Residents should boil all water used for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth and making ice.
“The City appreciates the public’s patience and cooperation throughout the repair and restoration process,” the statement concludes.
5:00 p.m.
Parkhurst employees are distributing hot chocolate supplies to multiple residential buildings across campus.
4:53 p.m.
To report any issues with the temporary restroom facilities on campus, students should contact Public Safety at (814) 332-3357.
4:45 p.m.
The city of Meadville anticipates that the water line repair will be complete by 6 p.m. Once the line is fixed, the Meadville Area Water Authority will need to flush fire hydrants across the city, beginning at approximately 8 p.m. Due to the cold temperatures, this may cause water that flows onto roadways to freeze and become icy.
The college will continue to provide bottled water for students to drink and use to brush their teeth during the full boil water advisory period, which is expected to last three days, according to an all-campus email on Tuesday, Jan. 27, at 4:40 p.m. The college is also advising students to wait until Wednesday afternoon to do laundry because water lines need to be flushed.
Today, Brooks Dining Hall will be open until 8:30 p.m., McKinley’s market will be open until 10:30 p.m. and Pine Market will be open until 11 p.m.
All college operations will resume as normal tomorrow, the email states.
4:38 p.m.
Portable toilets continue to be installed across campus.
4:34 p.m.
The David V. Wise Center announced on GatorHub shortly after 4 p.m. that it will close for the remainder of the day and reopen at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 28. The announcement also reminded students to not use the drinking fountains or water bottle filling stations while the boil water advisory is in effect.
3:36 p.m.
An arrangement of portable toilets and handwashing stations have been set up backstage from Shafer Auditorium in the Arnold Hall of Music loading dock in the Henderson Campus Center. It can be accessed via the Arnold Hall of Music’s hallway through double doors that have been propped open.
3:23 p.m.
Bob Harrington, the operations manager for the Meadville Area Water authority, told The Campus in a phone call at 3:10 p.m. that the construction crew has made significant progress repairing the broken water line.
“The repair is being made as we speak,” he said.
The Meadville Tribune reported recently that the source of the break appeared to be a valve in a 12-inch line, in which 10 bolts connecting the bonnet to the valve body appeared to have failed.
Once the new equipment is installed, Harrington told The Campus, the backfill process will begin using treated water and increasing the system pressure gradually to avoid causing more breaks.
Most people can expect to have access to non-potable water in buildings by midnight, Harrington said, and will “certainly” have access by tomorrow morning.
The next few days will require flushing the water lines to remove air pockets, which Harrington said may cause intermittent issues for those in the affected area. There will also need to be several rounds of bacteria testing over the course of multiple days before the boil water advisory is removed.
2:56 p.m.
The Meadville Area Water Authority continues the repair process for the broken water main on Highland Avenue near the road’s intersection with Randolph Street.
2:33 p.m.
Joseph Michael, the director of Physical Plant, told The Campus that 18 portable toilets are currently being placed around campus, with six accessible from the Arnold Hall of Music, two near the Schultz West Alcove and the remaining 12 distributed outside residential buildings in well-lit areas within view of cameras. A total of eight handwashing stations will be placed indoors near the portable toilets. Michael said each portable toilet will be stocked with hand sanitizer and that he is working with the company to ensure the rollout proceeds smoothly.
2:03 p.m.
The college is setting up portable restrooms outdoors and hand-washing stations indoors, according to a 1:57 p.m. all-campus email from the Office of Public Safety, at the following locations:
-
Allegheny Commons
-
Henderson Campus Center
-
College Court
-
Crawford Hall
-
Delta Tau Delta
-
Edwards Hall, also serving Phi Kappa Psi
-
North Village 1A, 1B
-
Ravine-Narvik Hall
-
Schultz Banquet Hall, serving both Schultz and nearby houses
Additionally, the following locations on campus currently have water:
-
Brooks Complex (only cold water)
-
Baldwin Hall
-
Doane/Steffee Halls
-
Carr Hall
-
North Village II
-
North Village 1C
-
Quigley Hall
Public Safety is asking residents/visitors to conserve water at these locations.
1:56 p.m.
The Allegheny Student Government canceled its weekly General Assembly. The next GA will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 7:30 p.m., in room 301/302 of the Henderson Campus Center.
1:21 p.m.
The water main break appeared to affect a joint between two 12-inch water lines, according to reporting by The Meadville Tribune. Shutting down the water system was necessary because water was leaking more quickly than the tanks could be replenished. The Tribune also reported that two Meadville Central fire trucks were ready with a total of approximately 1,300 gallons of water in the event of any fire calls while the water system was shut down. Nearby fire companies are on standby to assist with any calls.
12:32 p.m.
Assistant Director of Public Safety Kurt Sitler told The Campus that the college is looking into bringing portable toilets onto campus, during a phone call at 11:49 a.m.
“It’s a fluid situation,” Sitler said, regarding restroom availability on campus. “It’s ongoing, so it’s hard to predict what’s going to happen.”
12:23 p.m.
Bottled water is being distributed across campus, and cold to-go sandwiches are available in Brooks Dining Hall for all students, regardless of whether they have a meal plan with the college. Work crews are actively addressing the water main break. Campus photographers document the delivery of supplies to campus and the work crew in action:
11:50 a.m.
Doane Hall of Chemistry, Steffee Hall of Life Sciences, Quigley Hall and Carr Hall all have working restrooms, according to an all-campus email sent by the Office of Public Safety on Tuesday, Jan. 27, at 11:46 a.m.
11:37 a.m.
The Lawrence Lee Pelletier Library closed early today, along with Gator Post and Print and the Merriman Campus Store, citing the ongoing water outage as a reason for the closures, according to GatorHub announcements.
11:15 a.m.
Bob Harrington, the operations manager for the Meadville Area Water Authority, told The Campus that a crew is currently working on exposing the water main break, which is on a 12 inch main pipe at the intersection of Highland Avenue and Randolph Street. Once the break is exposed, the crew will be able to assess it and then begin repairs. Harrington said he feels confident the crew already has all the necessary repair equipment and estimated the break will be fixed by the end of the day.
Harrington said the break was related to the age of the 90-year-old system, as well as recent extremely cold temperatures and snow accumulation.
“We absolutely know the exact spot, that was absolutely unquestionable when you were out there at the break,” Harrington said. “They’re not usually quite that obvious. This had a significant amount of flow and a significant amount of pressure behind it.”
10:46 a.m.
Dean for Student Life Trae Yeckley just reported to all resident advisors that water will start being delivered to residential buildings “in the next few minutes,” starting at Ravine-Narvik Hall.
10:43 a.m.
Lily Whetsel, ’26, was sitting in front of McKinley’s Food Court when she got the message from the city of Meadville announcing that all water would be shut off until approximately 4 p.m.
“I guess I am waiting to hear more from the school in terms of what they are hoping to provide,” Whetsel said in an interview with The Campus. “I feel like I have more answers from the city than the school at this point, which are few. They’ve said they were going to put bottled water in the laundry rooms and it looks like they’ve got some here (McKinley’s), but that isn’t super sustainable.”
Student sentiment appears similar across campus, with uncertainty and anxiety dominating conversation in residence hall Google chats, in the Henderson Campus Center and on the anonymous social media platform YikYak.
10:34 a.m.
Students who currently don’t have a meal plan can still access a meal in Brooks Dining Hall, according to an all-campus email sent by the Office of Public Safety on Tuesday, Jan. 27, at 10:30 a.m.
Public Safety also elaborated on the boil water advisory, telling students that any water used to drink, brush teeth and cook should be boiled for one minute and then cooled before consumption. The water will be safe for showering, Public Safety said, although it should not be ingested.
10:29 a.m.
The head resident advisor of North Village II just told NVII residents that the college is working to bring bottled water to campus buildings, and is currently in line behind the Meadville Medical Medical Center, which takes priority.
Bottled water is being supplied from Saegertown Beverages, Saegertown’s bottling facility, according to multiple employees in the Residence Life office.
10:21 a.m.
The Office of Public Safety currently expects that campus buildings will remain heated, according to an email update sent at 9:41 a.m., with Physical Plant workers refilling water boilers as needed to keep heat flowing throughout buildings that have radiators.
10:17 a.m.
A Public Safety alert sent by the city of Meadville to all city residents at 10:11 a.m. just announced that all water service will be shut off beginning at 10 a.m. to allow for repairs, meaning it appears that the announcement was sent 11 minutes after all water was shut off. The announcement says city officials are estimating return of service by 4 p.m.
Once service is restored, a boil water advisory will be in effect for three days. It is not immediately clear how students living in residence halls with limited kitchen facilities will be able to adhere to this guidance.
A former Allegheny College employee who lives in Meadville said this was the first communication from the city of Meadville they had received.
10:12 a.m.
Despite multiple attempts, The Campus has not yet been able to reach the Meadville City Water Authority via phone.
10:09 a.m.
According to an email from the Office of Public Safety shared 8:48 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 27, the following non-residential buildings on Allegheny College’s campus were affected by the water main break:
- Campus Center
- Murray Hall
- Montgomery Gym
- Pelletier Library
- Tippie Alumni Center
- Vukovich Center
- Wise Center
The earliest email about the water main break from the Office of Public Safety, shared with all current students and employees on Monday, Jan. 26 at 8:08 p.m., had not anticipated that Montgomery Gym, Pelletier Library, Tippie Alumni Center, and the Vukovich Center would be affected.
10:06 a.m.
After learning that the city of Meadville water will be turned off at 10 a.m., a Parkhurst employee working in McKinley’s Food Court said that McKinley’s will still remain open for breakfast until 11 a.m, in an interview with The Campus at approximately 9:45 a.m. The employee also reported that all remaining prepared food in McKinley’s will be transported to Brooks Dining Hall following McKinley’s closure.
9:59 a.m.
9:51 a.m.
A Parkhurst employee working in McKinley’s Food Court, in an interview with The Campus at approximately 9:15 a.m., said that McKinley’s will remain open for breakfast until 11 a.m. but the market outside McKinley’s will remain open afterwards.
Currently, no drink stations are open in McKinley’s and only one sink in the kitchen has some water. To serve breakfast and wash their hands, employees have been collecting and boiling water from the sink.
9:45 a.m.
The Office of Public Safety, in an all-campus email on Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 7:47 a.m., said that the following residential buildings have been affected by the water main leak:
- College Court
- Crawford Hall
- Delta Tau Delta House
- Edwards Hall
- North Village 1A
- North Village 1B
- Phi Kappa Psi House
- Ravine-Narvik Hall
An earlier email from Public Safety on the night of Monday, Jan. 26, had estimated that North Village I C, North Village II, and the Phi Kappa Psi House may be affected by the water main break. These buildings do not appear to have been affected by the leak, as they were not listed in the most recent email.
9:44 a.m.
The Office of Public Safety just announced in an all-campus email that the city of Meadville is turning off the city water temporarily beginning at 10 a.m. “Given this update, all classes and other campus activities are cancelled until further notice,” the statement says.
Campus buildings will continue to be heated, and Brooks Dining Hall will remain open, though selection may be limited to cold items, according to the email.
Bottled water will be available in residence halls, according to the email, but did not give a timeline for when that will occur. “We don’t yet know what is possible,” the email continues, “but we are researching and attempting to bring mobile handwashing stations and portable restrooms to campus.”
9:35 a.m.
A source familiar with the matter told The Campus that all classes and activities will be canceled on Tuesday, Jan. 27. The source requested anonymity because this individual was not authorized to speak about the topic publicly.
9:25 a.m.
A break in the water main located near the intersection of Randolph Street and Highland Avenue has shut off water access to 15 buildings on campus, including eight residence halls, according to an all-campus email sent by the Office of Public Safety on Tuesday, Jan. 27, at 8:48 a.m.
An initial email sent by the Office of Public Safety on Monday, Jan. 26 at 8:08 p.m. had originally stated that it was possible water access would be restored within six hours. More than 12 hours later, with the Meadville Area Water Authority working overnight to resolve the break, there is no updated estimate of when water will be restored.
