In recent years, Linfield has experienced a plethora of water and plumbing issues. Nicholson Library, Ford Hall, Renshaw, Melrose, Pioneer, Larsell and TJ Day have all recently suffered from flooding, including one incident at Keck Drive this past academic year.
“Our second-floor bathroom flooded. The urinal exploded, and it was gushing water and ruined a lot of people on the first floors’ stuff,” said freshman Cameron Ramirez, who was living in Larsell.
Larsell isn’t the only dorm building that’s had issues. Mahaffey Hall’s washing machines were recently leaking.
“I didn’t do laundry very many times while they were leaking,” said freshman and Mahaffey Hall resident Milo Knoke. “But I do know that when I went down there, the floor was really slick by all the washers and because of my balance problems, I was scared I was gonna fall or something.”
Later, an incident in Melrose Hall affected the Richard and Lucille Ice Auditorium.
“The pipe on the second floor, way up on top in the attic, had a small pinhole leak, and then it just gradually got worse and worse,” said Linfield’s Utilities Trades Manager, Brent Flanders. “It went from all the way to the attic, and got on the organ on the stage and went all the way to the basement, to that conference room right by Johannesen.”
Flanders said there are a variety of things that cause these water issues, and they are more prevalent in certain buildings and areas on campus than in others.
“…Ageing pipes, as they get old they can corrode, crack and develop leaks due to rust buildup. So, if it’s a galvanized pipe, the rust builds up on the inside, and then the water’s still fine; the buildings where those are most prevalent are Pioneer and Renshaw,” Flanders said.
A galvanized pipe is made of steel and coated in zinc or another material in order to prevent corrosion.
Some of the things that contribute to Linfield’s water problems have more to do with the city of McMinnville than the university.
“McMinnville has very high water pressure, like, 90 PSI,” said Flanders. “We have a very high water table, so it kind of ebbs and flows quite a bit, that’s one of the contributing factors.”
Typically, city water pressure falls between 45 and 80 PSI, according to an article published by Elite Pumps & Mechanical Services. A water table is the highest level where the soil is saturated with water, and it fluctuates with the seasons, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
As far as solutions go, Flanders said it is difficult.
“There’s nothing really proactive you can do, because you don’t know what’s underground, and you don’t know what’s in the walls,” said Flanders.
Linfield is an old university with old plumbing and water systems, and McMinnville has its fair share of quirks. So, at least for now, Linfield maintenance says there is not much more to do than fix the problems as they happen.
