JAX PREYER — On Sunday, February 3, Denison students and Granville residents alike woke up to troubling news that a water main had suffered a break, causing a leak overnight breaching water consumption safety. According to The Newark Advocate, the water main near Cherry Valley Road burst around midnight, causing a loss of water for much of Granville and Alexandria. Not all Granville residents were affected, but residents concerned — Denison included — were directly contacted by the Village. The DU Emergency alert read:
“Denison has been notified that a village water main suffered a break this morning. Subsequently we have been advised to boil water before ingesting. Please only use bottled or boiled water. This means you should not brush teeth or wash fruit or vegetables without first boiling water. The Village has located the water break and is in the process of repairing it. We will notify the campus when the break is repaired and the boil alert is lifted. Until that time you are advised to boil all water before drinking, or use bottled water. Dining services is working to make free bottled water available in Slayter and Huffman.”
Tim Lyle, Building Facilities Manager, informed our reporters that every building on campus was affected by the break. All buildings had little to no water pressure and especially affecting buildings’ top floors particular buildings that are higher on the hill. There were extra staff, including two extra plumbers, on site this weekend as Building Facilities addressed the problem.
The Newark Advocate reported that the main was located roughly fifteen feet below ground, which compounded the difficulty of the necessary repairs. An email later in the day from Assistant VP for Student Development, Julie Tucker, indicated that while the likelihood of contracting illness is “very low,” students were strongly advised to heed the boil advisory warnings and contact Whisler for any health-related inquiries.
On Monday morning, Tammy Brown sent an email update from the facilities services department to inform the student body, faculty, and staff, that water pressure levels had been restored to normal, but the water itself cannot be confirmed safe to drink until bacterial testing is completed:
“The village informs us that water quality test results should be complete some time tomorrow. We remain under a water boil alert until the village notifies us that test results are acceptable. We will continue to update you as new information arrives.”
In the meantime, students will be patiently awaiting a return to normalcy expected to arrive sometime Tuesday.