On Monday, Aug. 26, a 6-inch water line broke on campus, impacting about 150 students and staff. The break occurred in a line running from 9th Avenue, on the east side of campus, to University Drive, on the west side.
Todd Gottula, senior director of communications and marketing at UNK, said the line broke because of aging infrastructure.
“There was no specific incident that created this issue,” Gottula said. “Often, older lines develop weak spots, and spikes in water pressure can cause them to break.”
As a result of the break, the Memorial Student Affairs Building and the Calvin T. Ryan Library were left without water. Randall Hall experienced low water pressure on the first and second floors, though sinks and restrooms remained operational. However, the third floor had no water pressure, leaving showers out of service.
Students on the third floor of Randall Hall were able to use the showers and restrooms in nearby Mantor Hall, which is connected to Randall Hall.
The lack of water caused inconvenience for residents, including Mallory Tobias, a resident assistant on Randall Hall’s third floor.
“It was really difficult to get to the bathroom quickly,” Tobias said. “I had to go on what felt like a hike to brush my teeth.”
Tobias had to guide her residents to Mantor Hall, as they had no clear information on when water service would be restored.
“Most of my residents asked me where we were supposed to use the restroom and when the water was going to be back on,” Tobias said. “I showed them the fastest way to get to Mantor to use the bathroom, but I had no idea when the water was going to be back on.”
Residents had the option to either use the elevator to get to Mantor Hall or walk down and around the building, both of which presented challenges due to high demand.
UNK’s facilities staff, along with City of Kearney workers, quickly identified the break and began assessing the damage. Water lines were cleaned out, and by late Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday morning, water service had been fully restored.
The fountain was not up and running until the following Friday, Sept. 6. Gottula said the water main break was unrelated to the previous break in 2018 and the old fountain issues.
UNK offered assistance to students who needed it during the disruption.
“I think the emails were a good way to post information, but I wish I had been given more details about the water break and whether there are still any issues in the building,” Tobias said. “I’m assuming everything is currently fixed.”
Though the water service is restored, landscaping work remains to be completed.
