Correction appended
UPDATE: April 11 at 6:05 p.m.
Water was restored to the Northside residence halls around 2 p.m., according to Sophia Benedicktus, the associate director of residential facilities.
The water first went off at about 8:30 a.m. after a water line was hit during construction on the Cassell Hall steam line she said.
Construction on the steam line was scheduled to be finished April 10, she said.
Benedicktus does not know when construction on the steam line will be finished, but it may be completed by the end of next week, she said.
Original story
Students living in Northside dormitories are experiencing a water outage after contractors hit a underground water line while completing construction near Cassell Hall. The water will return this afternoon, according Construction Manager Tony Esse.
The broken pipe has been isolated and the water is safe, Esse said.
Contractors are working on an emergency repair of the line, Holly Mussatti, assistant director of facilities operations, said.
"These things are usually pretty speedily resolved," she said.
This is the second time that Northside had water problems due to construction on the steamline. A water pipe burst on March 22, The Eagle previously reported.
“Personally I have been having a lot of trouble sleeping lately due to the heat. I was on the Quad until 3 a.m. for the past two nights because it's more comfortable over here. I'm just really frustrated,” Kevin Levy, a freshman in the School of International Service and a resident of Hughes Hall, said.
Air conditioning will not be completely turned on until April 15, The Eagle previously reported.
Current Student Government President Emily Yu and President-elect Patrick Kelly met with Vice President of Campus Life Gail Hanson this afternoon to discuss the situation. Housing and Dining has been handing out water and ice cream to residents throughout the afternoon.
Housing and Dining could not be reached for comment before press time.
“We're sitting in our rooms and lounges sweating and we have no clue how much longer it's going to take to get water back,” Levy said.
Amanda Sands, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, said she was frustrated about not being able to shower in the morning during the heat.
“I understand that the [air conditioning] won't turn on for another few days, and that the buildings get hot when the temperature outside rises,” Sands said in an email.“But this time there's no running water, and that's an unacceptable burden to impose on students living in less-than-ideal circumstances already.”
Sands agreed that Housing and Dining did not inform students well, and they have not offered any solutions.
Sands is hosting a prospective student for the Honors Overnight and believes the situation will hurt the potential student’s perspectives on AU.
“I just feel bad for the [prospective student] I’m hosting tonight.” Sands said in an email.
Staff Writers Tori Dalcourt and Devin Mitchell contributed to this report.
Correction: This article previously stated that the air conditioning would be turned on March 15.
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