A 12-inch water pipe burst near UCI’s University Club, causing flooding and the closures in nearby engineering, natural sciences and physical sciences areas on Nov. 22.
In a campus-wide email sent on Nov. 22, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Facilities Management Matt Gudorf informed UCI students and employees of the pipe rupture and “significant flooding.”
The flooding impacted areas near the University Club, a bistro and event space on campus located between the UCI School of Physical Sciences and the UCI Henry Samueli School of Engineering. Gudorf advised all to avoid impacted locations marked in red on a campus map. These areas extended from Natural Sciences I to the Engineering and Computer Trailer, while the extent of damage was evaluated.
It is unclear whether the University Club remains closed. Despite the pathway closure, the building is still accessible from the side facing the Las Lomas student housing area.
Students shared reactions to the flooding on social media. A Reddit post titled “Petition to keep Aldrich River permanent” by user PandaEyes7 on r/UCI featured a photo of the flooding in the park.
“Petition to get a duck pond or a lake in Aldrich park,” Reddit user theeee_ commented under the post.
In a follow-up email sent roughly two hours after the initial announcement, Gudorf and Interim Executive Director of Environmental Health & Safety Sandra Conrrad alerted the campus community that sediment may have entered the water supply. While sediment is “not usually a direct health threat,” it could make the water appear cloudy and cause mineral buildup on fixtures according to the follow-up email.
“Due to the recent break in the domestic water line, sediment already present in the water line may have entered the supply stream and appear out of the faucets and plumbing fixtures on campus,” Gudorf and Conrrad said in the email.
They advised community members to run water from faucets for a few minutes to clear any cloudiness.
The email update also announced that UCI Facilities Management had isolated the rupture and restored the water supply to all campus buildings. The pathway in front of the University Club, indicated in blue on the campus map, remains closed due to “extensive structural damage” in the surrounding areas.
Repairs are expected to be completed within two weeks, with full operations in the affected areas reinstated after that time. Community members were encouraged to report any additional safety concerns by emailing safety@uci.edu.
Alyse Billiard is a News Staff Writer. She can be reached at abilliar@uci.edu.
Edited by Jaheem Conley.