Water Main Breaks, Forces UCSD to Close

Students at the UC San Diego got a brief vacation Tuesday when low water pressure, caused by a water-main break, created a health and safety hazard.

“We have no good feeling about fire safety, and sanitary conditions are nil,” said George Himel, associate vice chancellor for business affairs. “We can’t flush the toilets.”

Himel said this was the first time the school had been forced to close since 1983, when the administration responded to a tornado warning by closing early. On that occasion, the campus was shut down for 2 1/2 hours one afternoon and reopened the next day. “I’ve been here 8 years and that’s the only other time I can remember,” Himel said.

The problem began on Sunday when a water main under Eastgate Mall burst. By Monday afternoon water had been restored to other affected areas in La Jolla but UCSD, located at the top of a hill, was still not getting enough to operate its boost pumps. Sufficient quantities of water began reaching the campus at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday and Himel said the school would reopen today.

Students living in dormitories at the northern end of campus had been without water since Sunday and by Tuesday afternoon, some were buckling under the strain.

“It’s kind of a nightmare when you have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and there’s nowhere to go,” said Kathy Smith, a 20-year-old junior. Smith said that she and her roommates had been walking across campus to the gym, which had working showers and toilets during most of the 2-day period.

“That’s pretty unsafe for a bunch of girls walking across campus at night,” Smith said.

Peter Butler, a 21-year-old senior who escorts women around campus after dark as part of his job with the UCSD Police Department, said that most of his calls Monday night were from students who wanted to be walked from their dormitories to the nearest working shower.

For a lot of students, getting an extra day off made up for the inconveniences. While some played basketball and flew kites, others blasted music from their stereos and caught up on their studies.