On Monday, May 11, Skilled Trades Supervisor Bill Behnke and his crew planned on fixing a steam leak on Vault 95, north of IM Circle.

But things did not go as planned.

By 9:30 that morning, four water mains broke across campus. Behnke’s team had to split up to help fix them. The breaks occurred near Akers Hall, near the State Police Post on Harrison Road, on Wilson Road and on Auditorium Road. Maintenance Mechanic II Ken Jakus and Welder II Jason VanAken stayed at the steam leak site, while Maintenance Mechanic II Dean Fischer, Maintenance Mechanic I Kevin Lawrence and Trades Aide Jason Crowell worked on the water main breaks.

The steam pipe was leaking near its anchor in Vault 95. Behnke’s team coordinated a 24-hour steam shutoff for Monday to allow them to repair the leak. VanAken made a repair, finishing around 4 p.m. Within a few hours, steam became available again.

According to Behnke, his crew also restored water access to areas with water main breaks by isolating the parts of the system with fractures. By Wednesday, May 13, they fixed three of the four breaks. The last one, near the State Police Post on Harrison, is less urgent because even with the break the area maintained easy access to water.

The bottom line for Monday’s work, according to Behnke: “At the end of the day, everybody had steam and everybody had water.”

 

May 14, 2009