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NEWS
| OCTOBER 26, 2005
Housing
KC Hall water shut off
Workers hope to fix the burst
pipe and restore flow to residents by tonight.
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| The Shorthorn: Scott Russell |
| Maintenance supervisor Lewis
Bryant cuts a pipe to drain water Tuesday evening
on the second floor of KC Hall. Maintenance crews shut
the water off around 11 a.m. Tuesday due to a burst water
line. |
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By I’sha
Gaines
Contributor to The Shorthorn
Students living in Kalpana Chawla Hall had their water shut off
Tuesday after a pipe burst caused several leaks.
Hall director Matt Hendricks said that around 4 p.m. Tuesday, fire
alarms went off after censors detected a leak on the second floor.
He said no major damage was reported, and students will be informed
as soon as new information is available.
He said they tried to repair the leaks while the water was running
but eventually had to shut it off.
“Things like these happen rapidly, and they need to be responded
to rapidly,” he said.
He said rejoining pipes and turning the water back on requires the
entire area to be dry and that maintenance workers plan on finishing
by tonight.
“Hopefully, the pipes can be fixed by 8 p.m.,” he said.
“That’s our goal.”
In preparation, workers cut the ceiling before knowing exactly what
the problem was to speed up the repairs.
Hendricks said problems like this one are normal for new residence
halls and that the hall directors have done well responding.
To notify the students, Hendricks said fliers have been placed in
every hallway, but Cha’ayung Hunt, peer counselor and architecture
sophomore, said some students didn’t see the memo.
“My roommate didn’t know until she couldn’t flush
her toilet,” she said “I don’t think many residents
know, but they will. Hopefully they can fix it.”
Hendricks said he has contacted hall directors in Lipscomb and Arlington
halls and the University Center to see if residents can use their
restrooms until the leaks are fixed. He said he also asked if students
could temporarily use the showers in the Activities Building.
Engineering sophomore Robert Robertson said he was worried about
not showering but joked that he “might have to skip showering”
for days or become good friends with the people in Arlington Hall.
Maintenance worker Lewis Bryant said students will experience stronger
water pressure when it is restored.
“We’ll see if it holds,” he said. “Solder
joints are a booger.”
Hendricks said if the water outage lasts longer than expected, they
will have to make other arrangements but that for now, this is the
most effective way to deal with the problem.
CORRECTION
This story should have stated sensors detected
the leak around 4 p.m. Monday.
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