UF may be a wet campus, but Norman Hall has run dry.
All bathrooms, sinks and water fountains in “old” Norman Hall have been out of order since a water main pipe malfunctioned two weeks ago.
Workers are still uncertain of what happened to the pipe because it runs beneath the building. Project manager Chandler Rozear said he hopes water will be restored Friday.
Employees arrived in the new Information Technology department housed in the Norman Hall basement Aug. 26 to find a 1-inch flood. After pieces of the carpet and drywall were removed, workers found water bubbling. Nearly 100 gallons a day bubbled from a 5-foot-tall leak.
The department just completed its renovation in June, and expensive equipment was relocated to be salvaged from potential mold. Rozear said the department will need new carpet tiles, drywall and paint, a relatively cheap fix, and will be ready in two to three weeks.
Workers tested the water and found chlorine present, which meant the water came from reclaimed irrigation water or drinking water. After turning off the water main to Norman Hall and its addition for two days, leaking subsided, determining the source of the leak. Water to the addition was restored afterward.
That day, Renee Long was in Norman Hall for eight hours. The 25-year-old education junior had to cross SW 13th Street to find a bathroom.
“I just had to pray that I didn’t have to go to the bathroom during class,” she said.
The 79-year-old building’s water runs through pipes located underneath the building from a water main on SW 12th Street. Instead of drilling under the building again, workers are laying a new 4-inch pipe around the building to connect to the same water main. Rozear said workers have pre-existing contracts with UF and did not know the cost of the repair.
The College of Education within Norman Hall taped off bathrooms and posted signs redirecting students to use the bathrooms in “New” Norman Hall. The signs also warn of a biological hazard, as waste could not be flushed down and posed a potential health risk.
“It’s like being in the Dark Ages,” said Thomas Dana, associate dean of the College of Education.
Environmental engineering freshman Padmini Persaud, 17, ignored the warning signs at first but soon realized the restrooms would be out of order for a while.
“It’s annoying because I’m thirsty all the time,” she said. “It’s such a long walk, and when I get there, there’s no water.”
A version of this story ran on page 1 on 9/10/2013 under the headline "No water in Norman until Friday"
A women’s restroom in Norman Hall is marked off with caution tape on Sept 10, 2013. The building had no running water, and students were being directed to Norman Hall’s new addition, the Digital Worlds Institute next door.
In this Sept. 10, 2013, file photo, a women’s restroom in Norman Hall is marked off with caution tape. The building had no running water, and students were being directed to Norman Hall’s new addition, the Digital Worlds Institute next door.
