Korb Hall residents endured an inconvenience Monday after a sewer line broke, leaving them without access to their restrooms and showers.

On Monday morning, the sewer line broke and caused a water leak near the front entrance of Korb Hall.

“At first, we spotted the ground water leaking, it was not until we started digging further a few hours later, then we discovered that it was no longer just a ground water issue, but that the entire sewer line connected to Korb Hall had burst,” said Shawn Denno, the electric and mechanical trade superintendent for University Facilities Management.  

Denno said he went out to Korb Hall at 9 a.m. after receiving a call. After recognizing the issue, he and his crew dug a large, rectangular hole into the ground in front of Korb Hall that led down to the sewer line.

Associate Vice President for Facilities Thomas Euclide said that because of the water leak, they needed to shut off the water in the building to keep people from using it.

“Every time someone flushes the toilet or uses the sink, it bubbles up out of the ground and floods the hole,” Euclide said.

With the lack of water, residents of Korb Hall were instructed to use the bathroom in Leebrick Hall for the time being. Denno said he understands the frustration and disruption this causes for some students.

“I had to change my morning routine in order to make it to my class on time,” said freshmen ASL major Samantha Vasilev.

The sewer line pipes connected to Korb Hall are mostly older and generally made from a clay or steel material that will only last about 50 years compared to materials made now that have a lifespan over 100 years, according to Denno.

“Our main priority right now is completing the project correctly so the sewer line will not burst again, and that could lead to extra hours and calling in additional workers,” Denno said.

Denno and his team plan to finish the project in the early hours of Tuesday morning so students can have access to the bathrooms once they wake up.

“I am hoping it is fixed by tomorrow morning, because I don’t want to spend another day walking over to Leebrick just to go to the bathroom or take a shower,” Vasilev said.

Moira Reed is the construction reporter, contact her at [email protected].

Tierra Thomas is the diversity editor, contact her at [email protected].