Editor’s note: This story was last updated on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 3 p.m.
A minor water break near Carnegie Hall has been leaking water into a nearby parking lot for more than a week, while Physical Plant works to identify the location of the break.
Physical Plant noticed water spilling into the area on North Main street beside Carnegie Hall on Wednesday, Jan. 28, after water service was restored to the college in the wake of a major water main break near the intersection of Randolph Street and Highland Avenue on Jan. 26.
On Friday, Jan. 30, when the water began to spill over into the Physical Plant and Carnegie parking lot, Physical Plant sectioned off the area while they and private contractors attempted to locate the source of the leak. Director of Facilities Joseph Michael said they have tested the water and found that it contains chlorine, which means it is city water coming in.
The cause of the break is likely related to the large water main break that resulted in the supply of water to the entire area being shut off on Jan. 27. When the water was turned back on, the pressure in the lines could have potentially caused or worsened an existing break, according to Michael.
Michael told The Campus in a phone interview on Wednesday, Feb. 4, that he does not anticipate the leak becoming an issue as large as the previous break, with the goal of keeping the water running to buildings such as Carnegie.
In a campus-wide email on Monday, Feb. 2, the Office of Public Safety notified students that access to Carnegie Hall would be limited due to the existing break.
A Physical Plant crew identified the pipe affected by the leak and ran a camera along the inside in the hopes of finding the source, before they were pulled away on another project, according to Michael. The crew returned on Wednesday to do some “additional discovery work,” Michael said. Currently, Physical Plant and the contractors are trouble-shooting to find the source of the break after conducting “exploratory digging” in the surrounding area on Monday, Michael said.
As of now, all buildings have access to running water, with only the east entrance to Carnegie sectioned off while the work crew has equipment set up nearby.
