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UW-W heat, hot water delayed to Thursday

WHITEWATER — Five days without heat and hot water? Talk about an inconvenience.

And it could be three more days before students are able to take hot showers on campus.

University officials expect heat and hot water to be returned to the UW-Whitewater campus Thursday at the earliest after a boiler explosion Wednesday knocked out steam to the campus.

Hot showers have been available at the Athletic Services Building since Friday. Students who live off campus also have been making their showers available to friends who live in residence halls on campus.

“Everyone’s done a great job of stepping up and making the best of the situation,” said Melissa DiMotto, assistant director of university marketing and media relations.

Showers at the Athletic Services Building are available from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Thursday. Signs have been posted to indicate the location of the showers. The stadium locker room is available for men, and the visitors locker room is available for women.

Esker Dining Hall reopened at 11 a.m. today. The dining hall was closed as a precaution after the explosion shook loose asbestos that insulated the boiler.

The power plant was inspected Thursday. While the building is sound, the blast damaged the main valve for the steam system, according to a press release.

In the interim, a bypass pipe will be installed to temporarily restore heat and hot water to campus by Thursday.

Of course, that’s only an estimate.

Complications could delay the fix, and permanent repairs will take considerably longer.