Western Connecticut State University classroom building sustains significant damage after water main break

Western Connecticut State University experienced a major water line break late Thursday night, forcing the university to cancel classes on Friday.

According to university officials, the break occurred on the Westside campus Thursday night between the commuter lot and the Westside Classroom Building. Emergency personnel from the Danbury Fire Department and the Danbury Water Division, along with university police officers and facilities staff, responded to the scene to assess the damage and begin repairs.

To limit the damage, the water was turned off for the entire campus. According to university officials, the water main repairs were completed within a few hours.

“Due to the efficient planning and diligent work of responders, the temporary disruption in the water supply did not have a significant adverse impact on students,” university officials said in a statement on Friday.

According to university officials, the Westside Classroom Building, located on a hill underneath where the breakage took place, sustained significant damage.

“A large amount of water infiltrated into the first, second and third floors,” university officials said. ”WCSU staff are currently assessing the damage and inspecting the building to ensure its safety. It is expected to take several days of work in order to be able to declare the building safe.

“During this period, the building is cordoned off except for facilities staff and remediation contractors,” university officials added.

WCSU Acting Provost Brian Vernon announced that all classes in the Westside Classroom Building will be held virtually the week of Jan. 22–26. According to university officials, computer labs in the Westside Campus Center and Visual and Performing Arts Center remained open.

Additional computer labs were made available on the Midtown campus, including in the Haas Library, to ensure that students had access to computing technology, university officials said. Officials are also looking into the possibility of creating additional temporary computer labs on the Westside campus for the virtual classes.

The break comes as Connecticut has been experiencing a period of extremely cold weather that has brought very low wind chills and has prompted Gov. Ned Lamont to activate the state’s cold weather protocol through noon on Monday.

“The entire WCSU community came together in response to this incident in an exemplary fashion,” university officials said. “Despite the enormity of the challenge, the students, faculty, and staff, working together, were able to help the campus return to normalcy within a few hours.”