Water Main Leak Affecting West Campus

A water leak discovered on May 24 in the parking lot just north of Rasmuson Hall has been temporarily repaired.

The leak, which was discovered as water bubbled through cracks in the parking lot asphalt, was due to a water pipe that had frozen and recently thawed. The pipe originally serviced Building G, which no longer exists. The pipe was buried under gravel but above clay forcing the water up.

Facilities capped the pipe, but will have to locate where it attaches to the water main and disconnect it to avoid future problems; this will result in a brief water outage to the west side of campus next week. For the time being water has been restored, however, Facilities notes that it will be normal to see rusty water over the next few days. In addition, water service may be interrupted later in the week as repairs progress. Facilities will also need to replace broken asphalt, gutters, curbs and lighting. Repairs to the frozen water line are expected to cost the University more than $200,000.