Residents of Gerig Hall were temporarily left without water on Feb. 25 after a malfunction in the building’s water softener system.
In an email that afternoon, Director of Residence Life Scott Barrett instructed Gerig residents to avoid using the water until the situation was resolved.
“Out of an abundance of caution, please temporarily avoid using the water in Gerig Hall until tomorrow morning,” Barrett wrote. “This situation is a result of a malfunction in the water softener system that facilities is currently resolving. Water is being flushed out of the system and will be okay for limited use later tonight.”
Later that afternoon, Barrett sent another email, stating that residents could once again use the water.
According to Gregg Holloway, director of facility services, the salty water coming from the taps — while unpleasant to drink — did not pose any health concerns.
Junior Andrew Friesen noticed the problem when he used the drinking fountain on fourth Gerig.
“It was pretty darn blue,” Friesen said. “It was blue enough that you could see it in the stream of water.”
