A water pipe located outside De Neve Plaza broke at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, resulting in a heavy flood of water down Charles E. Young Drive West between De Neve Drive and Strathmore Avenue.
The pipe, carrying tap water, was broken when a contractor accidentally pulled on it in the process of installing an orange gas line.
“The water main was 12 inches (down) with 175 pounds per square inch behind it, and it just blew apart,” said Scott Mayer, who works with Facilities Management.
Though the pipe was not severed completely, water flooded through a hole and directly onto the street, Mayer said
The gas line that was inserted was part of a project to upgrade utilities on the Hill in conjunction with the construction of more housing facilities.
“The line was for the buildings that are going to be put up,” Mayer said. “The size is bigger because the demand will be so much more than what is currently in the ground.”
The broken water pipe was a section of a loop that extended from residential halls on the Hill down to Bruinwalk. Facilities Management plans to isolate the break and insert the new pipe as soon as possible, said Leroy Sisneros, director of Facilities Management and Maintenance.
“They have to pump the water out of the hole and take a visual inspection of the pipe itself and figure out how to do the fix,” Sisneros said. “They will basically cut the pipe on each side, add new pipe, seal it, and then you’re back in business.”
The broken pipe has been isolated from the rest of the loop on the Hill. As a result, no student dormitories or dining halls have been affected by the break.
“Students should try to avoid the area, anywhere where there are muddy and slippery surfaces,” Sisneros said. “The people living in the residential halls should be fine.”
Residents of De Neve Plaza said they found themselves inconvenienced by the flooding.
“I was on my way to class when I saw the water, and I was surprised because it was a sunny day,” said first-year art student Camily Tsai, who lives in De Neve Evergreen. “There was a construction person directing traffic, but because I had to go somewhere, I just took another route.”