Hillsdale’s height monitor system and backup computer for its two water towers broke down Monday morning, causing the water storage level to decrease too much.
Since the monitor failed to sense the low height, the pumps did not turn, resulting in low water pressure throughout the system, according to Board of Public Utilities Deputy Director of Water Nate Rusk. This caused water on campus and other locations in the city of Hillsdale to turn a brown color around 1 p.m.
After about half an hour, the water cleared in the cafeteria, according to Bon Appétit’s General Manager David Apthorpe.
While Rusk said he is unsure exactly how the drop in pressure led to the water changing shades, once the problem with the monitors was uncovered, BPU manually turned on the pumps to fill up the towers and increase the pressure in the system. An outside company came later that day to look at the software, and now they are working properly.
“We got a couple of calls for brownish water,” Rusk said. “It’s probably from, I’m guessing, the pressure change, and what’s inside the pipes.”
Apthorpe received word from facilities that sediments were in the pipes, and the city was working on the problem.
While the color difference was noticeable in the translucent water, it would not have been as obvious in dark-colored drinks.
“The event is similar to when we open all of the fire hydrants to flush any stagnant water from the system,” Rusk said. “Unfortunately some customers experience a red/brown water color caused by iron. There are no health risks to the discolored water resulting from the computer malfunction on Monday.”
Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé recalled that when the water treatment plant was built near campus several years ago, the water also turned brown. He said it’s not uncommon for water to discolor when a treatment or flushing occurs.
Péwé also mentioned his water had turned a brown color recently.
Rusk said the cold weather the past few weeks has caused water main breaks around town, which could lead to discolored water. Valves are partially closed near the breaks to make the fixes and keep the pressure so dirt doesn’t enter the broken pipe.
“Opening and closing main valves can affect and change pressure in the system and it can also reroute water demands through pipes that it normally otherwise would not travel,” Rusk said. “This could potentially cause iron particles in the pipe to become dislodged.”
Bon Appétit Operation Manager Julie Marsh said the brown water was recognized in Knorr Dining Room immediately Monday, and employees took steps to keep students and faculty safe right away. They shut down beverage production and turned off water in the kitchen so that it was not used to cook. Having received the all-clear again, they replaced the ice with fresh ice, ran all the faucets and soda machines to clear sediments, and replaced beverages in the servery.
“The safety and security of our guests and staff come first for us, so we tried to take as many precautions as possible,” Apthorpe said.
Bon Appétit did just as Rusk recommended. He said this incident is a rare occurrence.
“It’s corrected, and we’re back up to two monitors on it, and hopefully it will never happen again,” Rusk said.
