Following reports of brown water in Dogwood and Daevenport resident halls, Sid Salter, chief communications officer at Mississippi State University said the university is working diligently to fix the issue.

MSU is working to improve a large water line to improve the hydraulic and fire flow protection across campus. Salter said MSU is connecting to existing water lines in order to provide for better flows.

To prepare the new water lines for use, Salter said it is necessary to perform an operation called “pigging of the pipe” to ensure the line is disinfected for safe use. Salter said the contractor is carrying out this operation today and this has caused some flows in the existing pipe to experience high velocities which caused a turbulent environment inside the existing lines causing the water to appear brown but Salter said “there is nothing harmful in the water.”

“Our department is working on ‘flushing’ the existing lines with low velocity flows in order to clear the water up,” Salter said.

If an individual encounters the tinted water, they should let the faucet run until the water clears up.
“The water is perfectly safe, but it is aesthetically displeasing,” Salter said. “Once the water clears, everything is perfectly safe and acceptable for use and consumption.”

Salter said the university is working hard to alleviate the water issue as soon as possible.