How a "little leak" turned into a big headache

It was the puddle on the surface of L lot that gave things away.

With no recent rain, the sight of water in the southeast section of the parking lot aroused suspicion. Plant Operations isolated the watermain valves in the area, and the puddle dried up. When the valves were turned back on, sure enough, the puddle reappeared.

"Answer, watermain leak." writes mechanical supervisor Neil Stewart.

The work to dig a hole to access the leaking pipe began July 11. The original estimate of the depth needed to uncover the watermain was 14 to 16 feet.

"We had our contractor to dig it up but the main was too deep for his equipment," writes Stewart. "We then had some bigger equipment come in and dig down to the main."

And dig they did. Twenty-three feet down.

The 10-inch watermain was then repaired, tested, and the lines flushed. The hole in the parking lot was filled up on Friday. Repaving is expected to take place later this week.

"I would like to commend our University plumbers on the job, Stephen Briggs and Derik Arndt, for the hard work and tremendous effort they put into this job," writes Stewart.

Manager of parking services Sharon Rumpel echoes Stewart's thoughts. "It was a big job and they deserve a lot of credit."

Photographs by Sharon Rumpel.

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Staff committees seek representatives

The University of Waterloo Staff Association (UWSA) Nominating Committee has extended the application deadline for staff representation on two committees, the Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC), and the UWSA Finance Review Committee.

One position is open on the Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) and the representative must be from an academic department. Staff representation on the JHSC is mandatory under the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act. The term is effective September 1, 2012 until August 30, 2016.

The representative will schedule 8 meetings annually of about 1.5 to 2 hours, with a minimum of 1 hour prep time for each meeting as required under the OHS Act. Special meetings and subcommittees may be called depending on issues, but generally no more than the equivalent of 1 day annually. Inspections require 1 to 3 days annually depending on the areas covered. Other duties include investigations, hygiene testing, and accompanying Minister of Labour inspectors. Representatives will receive training for Health and Safety Member Certification and will receive ongoing training as well.

There are two positions open on the UWSA Finance Review Committee, with terms to start immediately and run to April 30, 2016.

The Finance Review Committee consists of 4 members:the UWSA Treasurer (ex officio), who acts as a resource to the committee, and three committee members appointed by UWSA and selected from applications from members-at-large. The committee selects its own Chair.

Committee members are responsible for attending committee meetings (usually once or twice per year), carrying out the review of the UWSA's financial records under the direction of the Chair, and preparing a written report of the committee's findings that will be included in the UWSA's annual report.

Interested parties can submit their applications online or by filling it out and sending it to the chair of the UWSA Nominating Committee, Gail Spencer, at uwsanominate@ uwaterloo.ca (DC 3609) by Tuesday, July 26.

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Wednesday's notes

Andrew Colclough, who started working at the university in November 1987 as a Machinist Technician in the Science workshop, and later became Technician/Student Shop Supervisor, died June 28. He is survived by his spouse, Joy.

The Dana Porter and Davis Centre libraries are now loaning out phone chargers. Available power chargers include BlackBerry phone charging units, which are also compatible with Android phones as long as they use the micro-USB standard, mini-USB cables for older BlackBerry phones and some Android phones, and Apple's proprietary cables for the iPhone, iPod, and iPad. The chargers can be signed out for up to three hours.

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