Hot Water Updates

Oct. 8, 2025: In order to complete repairs of the campus underground steam infrastructure, steam service to most campus buildings will experience a planned shutdown during Fall Recess from 2 a.m. Monday, Oct. 13, through 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14.

Water will remain safe to use during this planned repair. You may notice lower-than-normal water temperatures during these hours.

For residential students wanting to take a hot shower during this shutdown, ADA-accessible individual shower stalls located in the first-floor locker rooms of Houston Gym will be available.

Other unaffected buildings include the Student Apartment Complex, Jacqueline Vito LoRusso Alumni and Visitor Center, and Burchfield Penney Art Center.

Visit DineOnCampus.com/BSU for updates related to dining hours of operation during the shutdown.

After steam service is restored Tuesday afternoon, it may take time for hot water to reach all showers and faucets. If you do not immediately have hot water at that time, please allow your hot water to run for at least 10 minutes.

If you have questions about this planned shutdown, please email facilities@buffalostate.edu.

We thank you for your patience, understanding and cooperation during this repair process, and apologize for the inconvenience caused by these necessary repairs.

Sept. 22, 2025: We are pleased to report that hot water has been restored to all campus buildings today. We thank you for your patience and understanding during this repair process, and apologize for the inconvenience caused by this unanticipated interruption.

It may take time for the hot water flow to reach all showers and faucets. If you do not immediately have hot water, please allow your hot water to run for 10 minutes.

Though hot water has been restored to all buildings, as noted previously, an additional planned, shorter shutdown in the coming weeks will be necessary to fully complete the repair. The time for this planned outage is not expected to be extensive; advance notice will be provided to all impacted residents once this timeline is finalized.

A credit will be issued to impacted student residents based upon the duration of time that hot water was not available in the residence halls during the initial interruption. As Interim President Bonita R. Durand, Ph.D., announced during Thursday's open meeting, further information will be made available to impacted residents once all details have been finalized.

Sept. 20-21, 2025: Work continued on repairs. It is still anticipated that steam service will be restored to the remainder of campus early next week. View a photo below of the repair area.

Sept. 19, 2025: As Interim President Bonita R. Durand, Ph.D., announced during Thursday's open meeting, a credit will be issued to impacted student residents based upon the duration of time that hot water was not available in the residence halls. Further information will be made available once all details have been finalized.

In response to feedback from impacted residents, 24-hour coverage from Custodial Operations and Services is being implemented for the shower trailers near Moore Complex and the Towers. This will lead to increased frequency in the cleaning of the portable showers.

Sept. 18, 2025: Work is completed to restore hot water availability to Houston Gym, where ADA-accessible individual shower stalls are located in the first-floor locker rooms. These are open to all students. A communication is sent campuswide.
 
In response to feedback, University Police is providing additional monitoring outside the shower trailers located near Moore Complex and the Towers.

It is still anticipated that steam service will be restored to the remainder of campus early next week. The repair is complex, and if anything changes about the timeline, the campus community will be updated immediately.

Sept. 17, 2025: A communication is sent campuswide. The first of two open meetings about the hot water outage is held. Valuable feedback is received.

Sept. 11, 2025: Perry Hall is made available for hot showers for impacted residents, in addition to the shower trailers. A communication is sent campuswide.

Sept. 10, 2025: A repair is completed, restoring hot water to many buildings on campus, reducing the number of impacted residents to 655. Repairs continue on the underground steam infrastructure to restore hot water to all campus buildings.

Sept. 8, 2025: As repairs continue, shower trailers with hot water remain available in locations adjacent to Bengal Hall and Moore Complex. All campus dining operations, other than Café 1871 and PlanetariYUM, are open. A communication is sent campuswide.

It is determined a blank cap can be used to isolate the steam line heading north, which would allow the Central Heating Plant to provide steam to buildings east, west, and south of the work area.

Sept. 5, 2025: A larger excavator and shoring equipment are delivered. Digging begins at a second location to explore for the leak. A leak is discovered at a 16-inch-diameter transition elbow. Evidence of structural damage to a box tunnel is also discovered; it will require repairs.

Sept. 4, 2025: The campus underground steam infrastructure experiences an unanticipated interruption of steam near the corner of Academic Drive and Union Place. This forces the Central Heating Plant to temporarily shut down its boilers so that repairs could be safely accomplished. All campus buildings—except Student Apartment Complex, the Alumni Center and Burchfield Penney Art Center—are without hot water. Water in the impacted buildings is safe to use, but is not hot. Facilities and contractor teams begin working around the clock to resolve the issue. 

A communication is sent campuswide, alerting the community of the hot water outage caused by the steam interruption. Residence Life begins the process of procuring portable showers.

A 4-foot section of the steam tunnel is opened up, but attempts to locate the leak are unsuccessful. Additional equipment and materials are ordered to continue exploratory work.

Wednesday, Sept. 17, 12:15 p.m.
Warren Enters Theater
With Interim President Bonita R. Durand and members of the Cabinet, and Residence Life staff

Open to residents of Moore Complex and Towers 1, 3, and 4

Thursday, Sept. 18, 12:15 p.m.
Campbell Student Union Social Hall
With Interim President Bonita R. Durand and members of the Cabinet

Open to the campus community.

When will the hot water outage be fixed for the entire campus?
Steam service is expected to be restored to the rest of campus early next week, provided no unforeseen challenges arise. Once service is restored, repairs will continue, and no additional long-term shutdowns are anticipated. Our Facilities and contractor teams remain on site and are working around the clock to complete the repairs safely and efficiently.

How many residential students are currently impacted?
There are 653 residents in Moore Complex and Towers 1, 3 and 4 that are currently impacted by the hot water outage.

Are there non-residential buildings that are impacted?
Yes, those buildings include Bulger Communication Center, Caudell Hall, the Science and Mathematics Complex, Upton Hall and the athletics complex. Work anticipated to be complete Sept. 17 is expected to restore hot water to Houston Gym.

Is the water in the impacted buildings safe to use?
Yes, the water is safe to use, but it will not be hot.

When did the hot water outage begin?
It started Thursday, Sept. 4, and work began immediately to identify the problem and restore hot water. View a timeline of updates and repairs above.

What caused the hot water outage?
The campus underground steam infrastructure experienced an unanticipated interruption of steam Sept. 4 due to a leak. This initially resulted in the Central Heating Plant temporarily shutting down its boilers so repairs could be safely accomplished. A repair completed Sept. 10 restored hot water to many buildings on campus. Our Facilities and contractor teams are working around the clock to restore hot water to all campus buildings.

Will impacted residential students receive payment credit?
Yes, a credit will be issued to impacted student residents based upon the duration of time that hot water was not available in the residence halls. Further information will be made available once all details have been finalized.

How can impacted residents access the showers in Perry Hall?
Perry Hall is available for impacted residents to use for hot showers between 7 and 10 a.m., and between 5 and 10 p.m. daily. Impacted residents can use the north entrance facing the Planetarium and Science and Mathematics Complex or the south entrance facing Chase Hall and Weigel Health Center, by using ID cards during the available times and signing in with an attendant. Additional staff has been added to this location for impacted residents’ convenience.

What is the status of the temporary showers?
The temporary showers that were located outside Bengal Hall are in the process of being moved to a location near Tower 1. Existing temporary showers remain near Moore Complex. The temporary showers are available to impacted residents at any time. Increased patrols from University Police have been implemented.

Will there be any other options for showering in the near future?
It is anticipated that work will be completed Sept. 17 to restore hot water to Houston Gym, where ADA-accessible individual shower stalls are located in the first-floor locker rooms.

Are any of the impacted residents being moved to other residential locations?
Various options are being explored to give impacted residents the option to move to other buildings on campus, including Perry Hall, and other locations near campus.