Update: According to an email sent to OU Daily from Millennium on Feb. 4 at 5:06 p.m., water service has been restored to tenants in Building One. Millennium wrote that compensation will be provided for the disruption, according to a an email sent to tenants on Feb. 3 at 9:59 a.m.
Editor's note: This story was updated at 4:53 p.m. Feb. 3 to remove a statement from Millennium incorrectly reporting repairs were completed. This story now includes updated information about the status of repairs sent to tenants in a correction email. This story was updated on Feb. 4 at 9:17 a.m. to include information about a mass email sent by Student Legal Services. This story was updated on Feb. 5 at 8:47 a.m. to include a video sent to OU Daily of the flooding in Building One.
Tenants at Millennium, an off-campus apartment complex, have been living without running water since Friday, according to an email from the complex.
Meagan Radford, community manager at Millennium, wrote in a Friday email to tenants that the water in one of the two buildings had been turned off, and they were working to restore it.
“Due to an emergency, building one water has been shut off until further notice. We expect time of restoration to be today between 10 AM and 2 PM. We will update as we have more information on time of restoration,” Radford wrote.
Water pouring from the ceiling and flooding a hallway in Millennium's Building One.
Haylee Kempf, portfolio manager for Cardinal Group Companies — Millennium’s management company — wrote in an email to OU Daily the complex lost water due to a mainline water fracture Friday, and the company expects the issue will be resolved soon.
“We anticipate a full resolution in the very near future and will continue to communicate directly with our residents to confirm the restoration of service,” Kempf wrote. “We appreciate their patience and cooperation as we work diligently to restore normal operations.”
Ifaz Hossain, OU biology sophomore and Millennium resident, said the conditions of building one have not improved since Sunday.
“I was walking through the building yesterday, and the conditions look bad,” Hossain said. “There is a hole in the ceiling, and they are using these giant dehumidifiers. It looks like it flooded. I just feel really bad for the residents and what's going on.”
A mass email sent to the OU community by Tracey Langford, director of Student Legal Services, offered students who were residents at Millennium guidance as they navigated the disruption.
Gage Gotcher, a tenant living in building one, said the water outage has affected nearly every aspect of his day-to-day life.
“I can't wash my dishes, do my laundry, shower — anything,” Gotcher said. “Every day, they say they fix it, and then when they turn the water back on, a new leak happens. Everything gets drenched in water. It's just a whole mess.”
Gotcher said although he is adapting well, he knows others are not.
“My roommates are really struggling right now,” Gotcher said. “Some of them have been going to the gym to shower, going to the laundromats to do their laundry, and the dishes are just piling up.”
Gotcher said he had to move his belongings out of the complex due to leaking water.
“When they turned the water back on, a new leak happened that was right next to my front door, whereas the previous ones were down the hall,” Gotcher said. “I was getting worried that the next time they turned (the water) on, it would start leaking inside my apartment, so I got my TV, my printer and a couple other expensive items and moved them. Luckily, I have parents that live 15 minutes up the road, so I'm able to go there.”
Millennium is providing bottled water and meals to residents while water services are off.
Millennium is working alongside Waggoners Heat & Air, a Norman-based plumbing company, to restore water to the complex, OU Daily confirmed during a phone call with Waggoners Monday.
According to an email sent to tenants Monday, Millennium said vendors are in the process of installing new parts, and the complex will notify residents when the system is tested. The complex also said it has received inquiries regarding compensation options and will communicate about that once the water service is restored.
This story was edited by Anusha Fathepure, Ismael Lele and Ana Barboza. Grace Rhodes copy edited this story.
