Towers residents without water, The Eatery closed after water main break

This story was updated Tuesday evening.

Water was restored at around 6 p.m. Tuesday to Litchfield Towers, after a city water main break left the three Towers and The Eatery without water.

The approximately 1,800 students who currently live in Towers were notified of the outage Tuesday morning. University spokesperson Kevin Zwick said the outage was originally expected to last four to six hours, as the Pittsburgh Water and Sewage Authority worked on repairs throughout the day. 

Thackeray Hall is also closed for clean-up efforts until further notice because of a water main break. 

Elodie Prigent, a first-year education major, was one of the residents left without water in Tower B. They went to the bathroom in a different residence hall and ate at Einstein Bagels instead of the dining hall — a good choice for their taste buds, Prigent added. 

Prigent said they were much luckier than their roommate, who went to the gym this morning and couldn’t shower. Prigent just moved to campus on Saturday. 

“We’re getting the college experience,” Prigent said jokingly. 

Elizabeth Kelly, a first-year pre-physical therapy major, also had a positive outlook, even though she wasn’t able to take a shower and brush her teeth after a meeting with her adviser this morning. Kelly, who also lives in Tower B, joined Prigent on her trip to Einstein’s. 

“The elevators weren’t working yesterday,” she said. “It’s just dorm life.” 

Bottled water was provided for residents in Towers lobby, and there are alternative public restrooms on the first floor of the William Pitt Union. There are additional on-campus dining places around campus in Sutherland Hall, Posvar, the William Pitt Union and the Cathedral of Learning, among others.

Zwick said the University apologizes for any inconveniences, and Towers residents as well as any student with a meal membership will be notified when water services resume.