Pipe bursts leaving many waterless

By Kevin Ferguson

A broken water pipe left hundreds of on-campus residents without water for nearly two days last week.

From early afternoon on Monday to early morning Wednesday, students in San Filippo, Campisi and Graham Residence Halls were forced to walk to other buildings in order to take showers or use the restrooms.

According to Director of Housing Linda Franke, the broken pipe was discovered on Monday between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., and Facilities immediately shut off the water supply to the affected dorms.

Water was also temporarily shut off in Swig Residence Hall, but was quickly restored. Facilities believe the pipe had been broken for some time, but went undetected because it was seven feet underground and not easily noticeable.

The next step was to find a contractor with the ability to fix the large water pipe. Then the proper size pipe and fittings were found and sealed. By the time the sealant was dry and the water could be safely restored it was 4 a.m. on Wednesday Ñ 38 hours after the water was shut off.

Pat Malley Fitness and Recreation Center was the main source of running water in the area, and during the morning hours lines of students crowded the showers waiting for their turn. Having to make the walk from their dorms to Pat Malley for restrooms and showers greatly disrupted the daily schedules of the water-deprived residents.

"It took a lot of time out of my day," freshman Graham resident Tamara Hill said. "It's hard walking 15 minutes every time you need to go to the bathroom."

Other residents agreed with Hill.

"It's hard at night, because you have to drag your roommate out at 3 a.m. if you wanted to go to the bathroom, because they don't want you going out alone," sophomore San Filippo resident Bryna Koch said.

Another problem resulting from the lack of water was sewage.

Even though signs were posted, some students used the restrooms as outhouses, according to junior Marshawn Jones, a resident advisor in Graham 300, which had experienced a similar shut down during the weekend.

Jones said that multiple times during the day on Tuesday, resident assistants used water from the Graham pool to force flush the toilets.

"It was disgusting," Koch said. "It was so gross no one would go in there."According to Franke, the custodial staff was monitoring the restrooms and cleaning any overflow situations immediately.

"Had we known that the fix would not be completed until Wednesday morning, we would have ordered port a potties," Franke said.

According to Franke, the broken pipe had nothing to do with past water problems. The pipes used can last indefinitely without ever cracking, and it is difficult to tell if a problem is starting because the pipes are underground. The facilities department does keep records on the pipes, and periodically changes old pipes to make sure they are in working order.

An additional aspect of the fiasco that irked students was the lack of information they were given on the status of the situation.

"I found out [the water was being shut off] when I was in the shower, with conditioner in my hair," Hill said. "We were totally left in the dark."

Franke said the accident was unfortunate, but staff members worked hard to fix the problem. "Obviously I would have preferred it didn't happen," Franke said. "But I appreciate all the work that our facilities people did to correct the situation."

Franke said many staff members worked around the clock until the matter was resolved.