$5M to help replace old water main

After receiving $5 million from the state in July, Facilities Management officials said they are scrambling to replace a century-old water main that is on the brink of bursting.

University officials made the project a top priority after realizing the line could break at any time, according to Bill Olen, interim director of Capital Projects. Facilities Management officials said this one fix will begin to alleviate a heaping backlog of deferred maintenance projects.

Designs for the project began this month, Olen said. Construction on the faulty section of the pipe — which runs from Fraternity Row, under Route 1 and up Chapel Drive toward Morrill Hall — is slated for May, according to Capital Projects' website.

Older sections of the pipe near Morrill Hall date back to the early 1900s, and their deterioration poses a significant safety risk: If they burst, scores of university buildings could be left entirely dry, rendering sprinkler systems useless, according to Olen.

"It's a safety issue; it's one of the oldest water mains on campus," Olen said. "They're so old, the type of pipe in the historical sections [of the water main] is more subject to breaking."

The project could cause congestion on the campus as crews fix the line in sections, according to Jack Baker, Facilities Management director of operations and maintenance.

"Certainly, there will be some traffic congestion, but we've got to do it," Baker said. "It won't be terribly disruptive, but any congestion on campus is somewhat disruptive."

Several students, such as freshman history major Kathleen Janota, said dealing with traffic is unavoidable because the pipe's extensive age makes it unreliable.

"If the water pipes are bad, then it's kind of a necessity," Janota said.

However, Baker said the construction would not pose a long-term inconvenience to the campus community.

"It's not like we'll have an open trench for months on end," Baker said.

University officials banded together to solicit the state funding for this and other projects by warning state officials some long-deferred projects couldn't wait any longer, Baker said.

"As a result of the efforts of campus leaders, the state allocated $5 million," said Baker, who added the state could give as much as $10 million next year if the need still persists.

He commended the efforts of university officials in acknowledging the extensive backlog of maintenance issues — a problem that has loomed for about a decade — as the university balances its budget by putting maintenance projects on hold.

"It was a real success story for our campus to identify the need and work with the state," Baker said.

By replacing the pipe now, Facilities Management officials said they hope to avoid a water main break like the one that halted last October's homecoming festivities and inconvenienced students in Leonardtown apartments and Fraternity Row houses.

According to Olen, all facilities on the east side of Route 1 — where Fraternity Row and Leonardtown are located — depend on one Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission line for their water supply, and the new line could serve as a reserve if the WSSC line falters again.

"This will help alleviate that," Olen said. "It could be used as a backup in the event that there was a major break on Route 1."

And though construction on the main may add to campus traffic, some students, such as freshman animal sciences major Anna Koziarski, said the long-term trade-off will be worth it.

"Do we want bad pipes or bad traffic?"

foley@umdbk.com