The morning routine at Ellicott Complex was a wash this morning when a six-inch water main burst, interrupting water service in the dorms and flooding the tunnel.
The water main, located in the Ellicott tunnel near the Wilkeson loading dock, ruptured at about 4:30 a.m., according to Kevin Ahuna, senior assistant director for residential life. The break flooded Core Road, commonly referred to as "the tunnel," and part of the Richmond Quad grounds, which in turn caused all shuttles to be diverted to Moody Terrace.
The break also disrupted water service in Richmond, Spaulding and Wilkeson Quads for a portion of the morning. As of 10 a.m. all of the water was back online, according to Ahuna.
"Initially, we thought it'd affect all of Ellicott, but it only affected Ellicott East," Ahuna said.
Regardless of the speedy recovery, the lack of water this morning was a major annoyance to some students.
"A second after my alarm went off at 7:30 a.m. my RA was banging on my door, telling (my roommate and I) that we weren't allowed to pee or take a shower. She said that if we really had to shower, we had to go to Alumni," said Sophia Azeb, a sophomore history and philosophy major. "We ended up packing our bags and brushing our teeth and washing our faces in the Student Union."
Neysha Vazquez, a sophomore theater major, said the break was an inconvenience.
"When you wake up in the morning, you're in a rush and then you find out 'Oh crap, there's no water,'" Vazquez said. "I still brushed my teeth anyways."
Other students, like Andy Davis, were less affected by the break.
"I looked at the piece of paper on the door and thought it was a joke, so I took a shower anyways," said Davis, a sophomore chemical engineering major. "We had water in Porter. The biggest difference is that I had to walk thirty seconds out of my way to catch the bus at the other loop."
Vazquez did praise University Residence Halls and Apartments for communicating with Ellicott residents throughout the ordeal.
"They kept us updated through emails, and I think I got about 14," Vazquez said. "So that was good."
Work to repair the broken pipes continues, as workers dig up the road and figure out what exactly the problem is, according to Ahuna.
"The tunnel should be back open to traffic at about 6 a.m. (Wednesday), but until the pipes are repaired and resealed it will remain closed," Ahuna said. "If something happens to prevent traffic from traveling in the tunnel, though, the shuttle will continue to operate from Moody Terrace."
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
