Issue date: 2/12/09 Section: News

Surrounded by water gathered after a night of rainfall, Tarble Arts Center occupants stand outside the back stairs on the building's north side and assess the situation Wednesday morning. University maintenance workers were on site digging tunnels to divert the water away from the dock to prevent flooding. (Karolina Strack/The Daiy Eastern News)

More than 2.5 inches of rain fell Tuesday night and Wednesday in the Charleston area causing flooding on Eastern's campus.

The Buzzard Hall parking lot was flooded, which limited parking, and additional floodwater was collected by the Tarble Arts Center loading dock.

By Wednesday evening, the floodwater had subsided in the Buzzard lot, but water remained in the Tarble loading dock.

Gary Reed, director of Facilities, Planning and Management, said the department plumbing shop determined a large tree root was causing the blockage in the storm sewer underground pipe at Tarble.

"This is causing slow drainage at the Tarble loading dock and also the Buzzard East parking lot," he said. "We are planning to clear this blockage as soon as weather and time permits us."

The campus storm sewers collect debris over time and require periodic cleaning.

The debris-filled sewers limit the amount of water they can drain.

Reed said the plumbing shop cleans underground pipes with high-pressure water jetting machines during the summer or whenever needed.

"However, most debris that cause storm water drainage problems are those that collect on the grates at the surface, such as leaves, sticks, mud and paper," he said. "Our grounds shop responds to those problems as they arise."

Mark Hudson, director of University Housing and Dining Services, said water had collected in the basements of Andrews and Lawson halls.

"When we get excessive rain, we can take water in those times," he said.

Hudson said the warmer weather warmed up the ground, but the ground remains frozen below the surface, which causes large amounts of standing water.

Occasional flooding in some first floor apartments in University Court had been more prevalent in the past, but there were no reports of water in the apartments, Hudson said.

Cameron Craig, an instructor in the geology/geography department, said 2.56 inches of rain were recorded at the Eastern weather station.

Craig predicted an additional 0.25 to 0.5 inches of rain Wednesday.

He said if temperatures were below freezing, Charleston could have seen 18 to 20 inches of snow.

Although, the idea that an inch of rain equals 10 inches of snow is not completely accurate, he said.

A dry snow creates fine snow particles, which will compact, and a wet snow creates more depth.


Matt Hopf can be reached at 581-7942 or at mthopf@eiu.edu.

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