Repeated water shutoffs at the Calvin T. Ryan Library have caused disruptions for students, faculty and visitors this semester, largely due to aging underground infrastructure and communication challenges. The outages have affected daily routines, access to facilities and even scheduled campus events.
Evan Boyd, dean of the library, said the building has experienced multiple outages, including one that lasted nearly a week.
“I think the biggest complaint is that we don’t get warnings,” Boyd said. “Sometimes we get informed after the water has already been shut off.”
Boyd said communication has been one of the most difficult aspects of managing the outages. While facilities staff have worked to improve notifications, delays or gaps in communication can make it difficult to inform everyone in the building.
“We try to relay that information to people who are in the building,” Boyd said. “But making sure everyone is on the same page has been a challenge.”
The outages are tied to aging water infrastructure beneath campus, particularly near the area between Mantor Hall and Randall Hall. According to Boyd, some of the underground plumbing dates back to the 1960s and is beginning to fail.
Sixto Delgado Sandoval, a student front desk worker in the library, says the water outages are getting better.
“I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault,” Sandoval said. “I think they’re doing their best to fix things.”
Michael Cremers, director of Facilities Management and Planning, said the issue stemmed from a break in an underground main water line serving the library.
“The root cause was a leak in an underground main line that feeds the library,” Cremers said. “That line is older infrastructure, and it experienced a pipe failure.”
After the initial repair, Cremers said debris from the break moved through the system, causing additional short shutdowns.
“Once that debris worked its way through, we needed a few controlled shutdowns to fully resolve it,” Cremers said.
The impact of these shutdowns goes beyond inconvenience. Because the library is one of the latest-open buildings on campus, access to restrooms is critical for keeping the facility open.
“If we can’t say a building next door is open for someone to use a bathroom, we can’t be open,” Boyd said.
During longer outages, the library has had to close early to avoid leaving students without access to water or restrooms late at night.
The issue has also affected campus events. Boyd recalled that the opening night of a Holocaust exhibit coincided with the first day of a four-day water outage, requiring guests to use nearby buildings for restrooms.
Cremers said the system has now been stabilized, but additional improvements are planned to prevent future issues.
“We are planning a more permanent solution by installing a new service line connected to a newer city main,” Cremers said. “That work is expected to take place later this summer.”
He added that while the recent outages were disruptive, they were part of resolving a single underlying issue rather than repeated failures.
“This wasn’t a recurring failure so much as a one-time issue with follow-up work needed to fully clean out the system,” Cremers said.
Sandoval offered a different perspective on the outages.
“I think there are other priorities in life than being upset about whether a bathroom has water or not,” Sandoval said. “But that’s just my opinion.”
