A water main leak occurring during the weekend near Zulauf and Cole halls continued to seep water out through Sunday afternoon.

After inspecting the leak, officials determined it would be best to allow the remaining water in the pipe to continue to leak out, so as not to allow any debris or contaminants into the system.

“This is a standard practice for underground water main pipes,” said Michael Saari, associate director of the physical plant.

Officials normally are alerted to a problem such as this when either building engineers or University Police notice water bubbling from the ground, said Saari.

Rather than hiring an outside contractor to perform the repairs, NIU has its own plumbers and pipefitters that are able to fix the problem, Saari said.

Officials use maps to figure out the best route to isolating the problem.

“The problem most likely occurred because of the change in seasons from winter to spring,” said Saari. “Shifting in the ground, caused by repeated freezing and thawing, puts undue stress on the pipes.”

The age of the pipes most likely was not a factor in the leak, said Saari, who added that this type of problem was “not uncommon” and can happen even with new pipes.

There most likely would be no service interruptions to the buildings affected and should only take about one day to complete once started, said Saari.

Saari estimated the cost of repairing the leak at around $1,500, which comes from a budget appropriated for making necessary repairs such as this one.