Pullman saw a cold front in early February that brought temperatures as low as -11°. While freezing temperatures are not new to the Palouse and they often cause maintenance issues on campus.

The extreme temperatures affected the Fulmer, Webster and Washington buildings. Each building had pipe bursts and some minor flooding.

A pipe burst in the Washington Building on Thursday. The suspected culprit was a failed radiator in the corridor leading to the elevator, causing temperatures to drop in the affected area.

The incident in Fulmer Hall, home to WSU’s Department of Chemistry, occurred between the Fulmer Synthesis and Fulmer Annex on Wednesday. The building has a large number of fume hoods to evacuate hazardous exhausts that may occur during lab procedures.

Shawn Ringo, Environmental Health and Safety director, said in turn, the building becomes “somewhat negatively pressurized.” This negative pressure can draw in cold air if doors are not properly sealed, the likely cause of the burst pipe.

The damages in Webster Hall were the most extensive of the three. Unlike its two companions, this event can not be linked back to a mechanical or structural failure. The flooding in Webster was the result of a human error: a forgotten window left open through the night.

On Wednesday afternoon the sprinkler system flooded the fourth floor of the building, causing damage to the floor itself and the floors below. The water damage to the drywall on the 3rd floor was extensive and is now in the process of being removed and replaced.

All other damage was minimal and was mitigated relatively quickly thanks to the responsiveness of WSU staff.

“Facilities, Life Safety, the custodial team, the carpentry shop, all these people that really contributed to getting the water stopped, cleaned up and dried out the building,” Ringo said. “It’s all fairly impressive how WSU comes together when they need to.”

Looking back to last Winter, there was not a lot of repetition in the location of incidents. Problem areas are often exposed during drastic temperatures, but repairs seem to last as Facilities Services works to prevent such occurrences.

As the weather warms up again, it is unlikely similar issues will occur until the next cold front rolls around.

All maintenance issues can be reported to WSU Facilities Services at 509-335-900.