A broken water pipe on the third floor of the Union caused about 15 gallons of water to leak onto the second floor near the University Bookstore’s entrance late Tuesday morning. Karl Ardoin, Union general contractor’s superintendent, said the construction workers were tearing out ductwork on the third floor when a piece fell on a copper water line. Shirley Plakidas, Union director, said an on-site plumber fixed the leak. “We just hope if this happens again that the situation will be resolved as quickly as it was this time,” she said. The Union temporarily shut down water access and closed all bathrooms in the building for 15 minutes. Tara Kinchen, communication studies junior, was sitting on a bench on the Union’s second floor when the water started leaking from the third floor. “It sounded like a waterfall,” she said. Kinchen said the leak did not inconvenience her. She said she saw several students in the bookstore who had to walk downstairs to leave. “People were trying to tiptoe around it, but it was pretty obvious that you shouldn’t go through,” she said. Three Union custodians cleaned the water on the second floor with vacuums in about 30 minutes. Plakidas said water and drain pipes occasionally rupture in the Union, but Tuesday’s occurrence was the first of its kind since construction began on the building. “With construction, anything can happen at any time,” she said.
—–Contact Angelle Barbazon at [email protected]