Waterline relocation causes some University of Evansville students to lose water over a couple hours

Posted: Oct 16, 2023 / 05:32 PM CDT

Updated: Oct 16, 2023 / 06:33 PM CDT

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) — About 150 University of Evansville students lost access to water for only a couple hours on Monday morning.

A waterline near the intersection of Walnut Street and Weinbach Avenue was relocated to make room for a storm sewer main.

The roadwork is part of a larger project where Walnut will be reduced from four lanes to three lanes.

A pedestrian path will eventually open for walking and biking on Walnut. Before any of that becomes reality, some students faced a water problem.

“We do try to collaborate and coordinate as best we can,” Evansville City Engineer Michael Labitzke said. “We’ve been doing that with the University of Evansville for several months leading up to this closure of this intersection. But this, this change to where the how the force main ties into the tunnel, it was that was a last minute deal. So we had some AT&T communication that we needed to move out of the way and then we had this water line that we needed to move out of the way.”

University of Evansville Chief Communications Officer Noah Alatza tells us the university had plans to accomodate their students affected from the one-day shutoff after it was notified of the work.

Those students recieved increased access to laundry, shower and bathroom facilities if they chose to stay in their room accomodations.

“Right now, this is just a one day water shut-off — eight hours of the day, really,” Alatza said. “We’re just hopeful that it will get resumed — that water will be back flowing — and we can we can move it along.”

Students once again recieved access to water between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. on Monday.

Alatza tells Eyewitness News that a boil advisory for the residents affected begins Monday and continues until Thursday.