Several buildings at Emblem Academy were without water Monday morning after a weekend robbery of the elementary school’s copper plumbing.
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The school’s custodian was the first to realize the water was not working. He later discovered that main water valves and copper plumbing were removed, according to Emblem Academy Principal Jon Baker.
The administration building, 17 classrooms and 12 bathrooms were without running water until 11:00 a.m., said Baker.
In addition to the valves, 20 copper drain lines were stolen from the roof of one of the schools buildings, said Public Information Officer for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station Shirley Miller.
Baker said that maintenance crews worked quickly to bring in portable bathrooms for students and faculty to use while the plumbing was being replaced.
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“We wanted to make sure that everything was operational,” Baker said. “We prepared ourselves for the day with portable bathrooms, extra hand sanitizer and bottled water.”
According to a 2012 report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, metal thefts across the country steadily increased beginning in August of 2009 because of rising base metal prices, especially copper.
“We have seen an increase. The stealing of valuable metal has become a cause for concern. Not just for our area, but in other areas as well,” Miller said.
“The metal is stolen and then sold to scrap metal facilities. It is melted down and then sold,” Miller said.
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