On Friday of last week a steam pipe burst near Lake Marion in between the Andrew Conference Center and Regina hall. Director of Facilities, Peter Skach said that he become aware of the situation early Friday morning, but students say they had seen the issue occurring since Thursday night. There was large amount of steam coming from the ground and spilling onto the road. The ground was very muddy and bubbling.
Public safety was at the scene on Friday morning because of the safety hazard the steam on the road had. It was very hard to see what was in front of you while driving though the steam. To reduce the amount of steam leaking from the pipe Facilities turned down the pressure from the boiler, located near the Public Safety Department. Soon after, there was nearly no steam leaking from the pipe.
These types of pipes are used for heating purposes throughout Saint Xavier’s campus. The pipe that burst last week is responsible for heating Pacelli Hall and the Warde Academic Center. No students reported any change in the heating of Regina, the Andrew Conference Center, or the Warde Academic Center.
Facilities closely monitored the temperature of those buildings to make sure the temperature remained the same as any other day. Early the next day, Saturday, the pipe was excavated and replaced.
Although it was quite a spectacle, this is something that is inevitable with underground pipes, according to Skach. And indeed it is. In the past couple of years there has been these type of burst pipes, this one, however, is the first this year.
The department of Facilities has been identifying the oldest and most susceptible to these types of bursts parts of the piping at Saint Xavier. They replace those identified areas as time allows and funds become available, but these incidents could happen even with the newest piping.
David Rodriguez
News Editor