On the morning of March 17, Clague eighth grader Sean Park was alerted of a school cancellation. However, it was not a notification to take lightly — Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) announced Clague Middle School, Thurston Elementary School, Logan Elementary school and King Elementary School were all canceled due to a water main break in Plymouth Road between Green and Huron Parkway. 

“The water is contaminated so just in case we have to use clean, boiled water to clean any food that is raw before consuming,” Park said. “We have to put [water] through a filter and then boil it again just to drink, so it takes some time. I don’t drink straight tap water but now you need to use boiled water to brush your teeth.”

A water main break is when the sediment is disrupted and shifted, leading to water pipes bursting. Although evidence for such has not been discovered yet, the result is bacteria-tainted and debris-contaminated water from the breakage, which poses a polluted risk for students and staff. 

“As a precautionary measure, the City of Ann Arbor is issuing a boil water advisory until further notice for the area north of Plymouth Road from Traver Road to US-23,” the City of Ann Arbor said. “There is no evidence of contamination of the water system, and the city is issuing this boil water advisory as a precautionary measure until further notice.”

The boil water advisory is applicable on activities such as personal hygiene through brushing teeth, drinking water for pets, cleaning raw foods, making ice and curating beverages. The boil water advisory does not need to be executed on “bathing, laundry and lawn irrigation.”

“The water should be boiled for at least one minute and allowed to cool in a covered container. Bottled water can be used as an alternative,” the City of Ann Arbor said.

For citizens in the affected regions of the boil advisory, more on boiling water can be located here until it is lifted a predicted 48 hours subsequent.

But the boil water advisory is not the only consequence of the water main break — roads are flooded as well.

“In addition, all lanes of Plymouth Road between Green and Huron Parkway are closed to traffic while city crews repair the water main break,” the City of Ann Arbor said. “Travelers are advised to find an alternate route and avoid the area until further notice.”

Water main breaks can occur for various reasons: aging pipes, abrasive soil, construction, etc. Temperature is another cause that is cohesive with Michigan’s weather movement. On March 10, the weather forecast stated an average temperature of 49.1 degrees Fahrenheit, with a maximum of 65 degrees Fahrenheit and a minimum of 33.0 degrees Fahrenheit. However, on March 12, the weather statistics drastically dropped to an average temperature of 37.4 degrees Fahrenheit, with a high of 46.0 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 30.0 degrees Fahrenheit. This pattern repeats itself on March 15 with an average of 61.7 degrees Fahrenheit to March 17 with an average of 29.0 degrees Fahrenheit. These swift turnarounds on temperature plummets and rises only provoked the chance of a water main breakage’s emergence.

“[I’m] sad because I’m missing my disability awareness day [at school],” King fourth grader Lola Ly said. “I wanted to see my friends.”

While the welfare in students is vastly considered, the news of the school cancelation in Clague, Thurston, Logan and King caused a flood of disappointment and relief.

“I liked having the day off because I got to sleep-in and hang out with my friends,” Clague eighth grader Jake Kang said. “But the bad part was that I was affected by the water problem so I couldn’t drink the water from my sink, so I had to use plastic water bottles. I’m also sad because our course selections are delayed because I was looking forward to skipping an hour.”

More information will be shared to update the AAPS school community when available and more information from the City of Ann Arbor can be found here.

“I think there’s a difference in opinion for a lot of kids [when missing school],” Clague eighth grader Amaya Ly said. “Some kids could be happy, some kids could be missing their friends, some kids could have tests. I know I’m kinda bummed out, not even to catch up on some work, but to see my friends.”