Fountain of Faith– More Like Fountains of Filth

Commotion broke out at Charlotte Catholic today after drains in the first-floor hallways erupted with sewage water during break. Students and faculty alike clamoured for an explanation as the bathrooms and commons area began to flood, but none could be found. Teachers nearby soon took action, partitioning off the flooded areas from prying eyes.

Visitors touring Charlotte Catholic also witnessed the incident, with junior Emma Reilly slipping and losing her “Ooey-Gooey” chocolate chip cookie to the disaster. Classes were cancelled for the rest of the day, though Principal Kurt Telford assured the school that this was not an “immediate safety issue” and assured that classes would resume Monday.

This type of drain backup– a sewer line connected to floor drains– are common when days of heavy rain surcharge, or overload the sewer beyond its containment capacity. It is normal and easy to fix, but what’s not normal is the school having sewage drains in hallways and open areas. BLUCHER, a long-standing industrial drain company, only provides drain installation for schools in cafeteria kitchens, pools and changing rooms, and bathrooms.

If the surcharge only occurred in the bathrooms, the day might’ve been able to continue as normal. Charlotte Catholic’s building, though, was converted from an office building in 1995; it is unknown what facilities that required industrial sewer drains previously resided in the student commons area, but Charlotte Catholic has seemingly never updated since.

If this was the first time Charlotte Catholic’s sewer system has surcharged in recent memory, this issue may be less pressing– but it is not. Classes were cancelled and students were banned from using school toilets multiple times during the 2017-18 school year, yet Charlotte Catholic has not seemed to learn their lesson.

**Update 2/5/2019: Telford reports that leakage was due to “old and corroded pipes,” and that the school will overhaul all school bathrooms the summer between the 2018-19 and 2019-20 school years.**