Less than 24 hours into the home stretch of the school year and the quad, one of the more popular places to sit outdoors, has been noticeably unearthed. According to maintenance head Al Ghiotti, two leaks were found in the pipe systems running under the ground, one carrying steam from the boiler room, and the other returning hot water to the system.The leaks were first identified due to abnormally green grass growing above the pipelines in the dead of winter. Although the leaks themselves are simple to fix, finding their precise locations poses a greater problem. In the case of the steam leak, the pipes are insulated with a large rubber-like casing around the metal. Therefore the steam may rise from the ground in a different spot than the original crack in the metal pipe. The rising steam simply indicates where there is a weakness in the pipe casing. Thus, finding the original leak is more of a challenge.

Because of the uncertainty in the leak’s location, the crew has excavated a considerably longer portion of the steam pipe to find the source. Ghiotti estimated that the project would be completed in two weeks’ time.