Burst water pipe causes flooding at North Quad on University of Michigan campus
Water pours into North Quad through a burst water pipe Thursday morning.
Courtesy of Keya Patel
Editor's note: Update: Officials are now reporting there were 32 students displaced. According to original reports, it was believed 100 students were displaced by the flooding.
- For an updated story, see University of Michigan's North Quad up and running 5 days after flood
A broken water pipe spilled water throughout the North Quadrangle dormitory Thursday morning and University of Michigan officials are still determining the extent of the damage.
A burst water pipe caused flooding at U-M's North Quad Thursday morning.
AnnArbor.com file photo
“The water drains down and a lot of water was released before they were able to get the pumps turned off,” she said.
The residence tower was closed and classes in the building were canceled Thursday.
Water pipe broken at North Quad.Residential tower is closed. Classes cancelled at North Quad.
— umichpolice (@umichpolice) March 28, 2013
University of Michigan Plant Operations and other crews were at the residence hall, 105 S. State St., Thursday morning to clean up the building and determine what caused the burst pipe.
It’s unknown exactly what caused the pipe to break at this point. Brown said it’s unlikely that the pipe was broken by a person in the stairwell.
“(Residents) are not typically rambunctious on a Thursday morning,” she said.
Brown said students' rooms may have been affected by the flooding but the extent of the damage wasn’t clear as of 11:30 a.m. Thursday.
Jeff MacKie-Mason, dean of the U-M School of Information, sent an email to the school community stating The Ehrlicher Room in North Quad sustained major damage in the flooding.
"We will not be able to use it for some time, perhaps several month (the ceilings may need to be replaced, walls may need repair, the carpet and our extensive electronics equipment may need replacement)," MacKie-Mason wrote in the email.
Brown said more information on the flooding should be released later Thursday.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
cornelius McDougenschniefferburgenstein jr. 3 esq.
Thu, Mar 28, 2013 : 10:53 p.m.
this is to be expected in a 200 year old university.
Jay
Thu, Mar 28, 2013 : 7:56 p.m.
Yeah, they can forget about having me donate any money. $175 million, to make the place look like a 130 year old Ivy League building. Really? At least make it look modern and nice, and from looking at the shows on TV, that's not very expensive. When I went there, in general, it seemed like the school had so much money, it didn't know what to do with it. Even worse, they had the gall to keep raising tuition.
tom swift jr.
Thu, Mar 28, 2013 : 7:34 p.m.
"(Residents) are not typically rambunctious on a Thursday morning," she said." is about the most poorly thought out statement from an "official" for a University that I've ever hear. So, we are to surmise from this that there are some days/times that her students are likely to cause major destruction to the building? Why would she even say that. If I were a resident of that dorm I would be incensed that that type of statement was made. It also speaks to how the University Police Department thinks about the students they are there to protect. Also, this is a time to make jokes?
John
Thu, Mar 28, 2013 : 10:24 p.m.
"So, we are to surmise from this that there are some days/times that her students are likely to cause major destruction to the building? " Yes. If you lived/worked anywhere near a dorm, this would be self-evident.
Kyle Feldscher
Thu, Mar 28, 2013 : 7:41 p.m.
Tom- I asked Diane if it was possible that the damage was done by a student or was vandalism. Anyone who has lived in a college dorm can tell you that there are some activities that go on in hallways and other areas that can potentially damage university property. I think Diane's response was fair.
halflight
Thu, Mar 28, 2013 : 5:59 p.m.
Kyle--aren't there any comments by the affected students? I imagine they'll have plenty of choice quotes about the university's infrastructure. I've gotta love some of Diane Brown's comments: "[Residents] aren't usually rambunctious on Thurday morning" As opposed to Saturday nights, when they typically pull the plumbing out of the walls.
WalkingJoe
Thu, Mar 28, 2013 : 6:38 p.m.
BlueEyesGirl, I thought the same thing. You can't get anything by these U of M people.
BlueEyesGirl
Thu, Mar 28, 2013 : 6:22 p.m.
I like how she tells us that 'water drains down"...
Kyle Feldscher
Thu, Mar 28, 2013 : 6:11 p.m.
halflight - Unfortunately, we're a little short-staffed this week. I haven't got a chance to go out and speak to any of the students, but as Cole noted, we should have some reaction soon.
Cole Bertsos
Thu, Mar 28, 2013 : 6:05 p.m.
@halflight - We have a reporter out talking to students now and should have a story up with that information soon.
Jenn McKee
Thu, Mar 28, 2013 : 5:38 p.m.
That photo speaks volumes. Yikes. Wondering what will happen to the students whose rooms are affected. Having suffered a bad basement flood in my house earlier this year, I feel for them...
aarog
Thu, Mar 28, 2013 : 8:09 p.m.
The picture from this reddit'er speaks volumes also, literally. https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/578319_10151380305653822_1740740667_n.jpg
SMAIVE
Thu, Mar 28, 2013 : 5:33 p.m.
Looks like the "high quality" off shore fire suppression parts are holding up as expected!
fjord
Thu, Mar 28, 2013 : 5:01 p.m.
That's basically a brand-new building, isn't it?
Kyle Mattson
Thu, Mar 28, 2013 : 6:21 p.m.
Correct fjord, as ffej440 mentioned it opened in 2010. Here's a link from our story at the time: http://bit.ly/11SWmaJ
ffej440
Thu, Mar 28, 2013 : 5:36 p.m.
Opened Aug. 2010. Cost 175 Million.Took 3yrs to build
nvragain
Thu, Mar 28, 2013 : 5 p.m.
If the damage is a result of the plumbers or pipefitters negligence, does the union foot the bill, or the taxpayers?
Howard Beale
Thu, Mar 28, 2013 : 5:13 p.m.
Neither....it will likely be paid for by the contractor's general liability insurance (for completed operations), if they are deemed at fault. I'm sure there will be a lot of finger pointing between the University, architects, engineers, contractors and suppliers before it is finally resolved.
An Arborigine
Thu, Mar 28, 2013 : 4:44 p.m.
A lovely water feature and at a fraction of the cost of the City Hall water fountain
ride65
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 10:21 a.m.
But the city hall fountain has "The Bridge" traversing its' mighty torrent.
Kafkaland
Thu, Mar 28, 2013 : 4:52 p.m.
I suspect the cleanup and repair will cost as much as the city's water fountain.