The area around a steam line leak outside the Olmsted Center will remain blocked off to students throughout the spring, Facilities Planning and Management told The Times-Delphic. Facilities plans to repair the line after graduation to reduce disruption to campus. 

Steam lines like the one by Olmsted heat all on-campus buildings, in addition to providing hot water for kitchens and bathrooms. The line that developed the leak services Goodwin-Kirk Residence Hall, Olmsted and Aliber — heating and hot water services in those buildings are currently not affected by the leak.

Over fall break, Facilities tested a valve in the area. This test temporarily shut off hot water to the aforementioned buildings, so Facilities advised students remaining on campus about where to take hot showers. The test demonstrated that the valve would hold during the repair process scheduled for this summer.

“The test on the valve being able to hold was completed during fall break, and that was the extent of the work,” Kevin Moran, the executive director of Facilities, said in an email.

Facilities expects to replace the line between the manhole outside of Olmsted and the manhole in the middle of Helmick Commons, Moran said.

Drake’s condensate lines — pipes that cool on-campus buildings during the warm months — and steam lines haven’t been replaced for over 20 years. Moran said that these pipes can last up to 30 years or more, eventually developing leaks when groundwater saturates the pipes’ insulation. 

“Most of the time, repairs are necessary due to the outside of the pipes developing pits or small holes,” Moran said. “Steam can travel along the pipe and emerge from the ground anywhere, so often it is necessary to dig up the entire line to determine where the failure occurred.”

Facilities expects to find other leaks when it digs up the lines during the summer, Moran said. The project’s budget therefore depends on the amount of pipe Facilities will replace.

“The extent of the repair won’t be known until excavation of the pipes takes place to define how much has failed and will need to be replaced,” Moran said.