The only water fountain in Max Palevsky East, a building in Max Palevsky Residential Commons, was damaged and removed earlier this month, leaving residents without in-building access to drinking water for more than three weeks.

The fountain was removed on February 5 for safety reasons. The cause of the damage is still unknown. Housing & Residence Life (HRL) stated in an email to the Maroon that the replacement process is scheduled to begin on March 3 and will be completed by March 4.

The first communication residents received about the missing fountain was sent on February 25, after the Maroon first reached out to HRL for comment on February 24.

There are working water fountains in the other Max Palevsky buildings, which can be accessed through the dorm’s underground tunnel system. Max Palevsky East has three houses.

Fourth-year resident Alana Nii, who was nearby when the fountain broke, recalled hearing a loud sound. When she attempted to get water later that night, the hallway was empty and flooded, she said, presumably as a result of the fountain breaking. “I have no idea what happened,” Nii said. “We’re theorizing that maybe somebody sat on it or jumped on it, but we didn’t hear any voices.”

Some residents have sought alternative water sources as they wait for repairs.

“It’s a big inconvenience for me,” first-year resident Adrian Diem said. “Usually, I would walk downstairs from my dorm [to get water]. Now I [have to] go to the Reg.”

Nii echoed Diem’s statement, adding that she either has to get water before returning to the dorm or make the “trek to Central.”