By Elizabeth Tertadian
In recent days, sunny weather has given UP students and staff a welcome break from one of the messy nuisances at UP during the rainy season: the giant puddle at the main entrance to campus. Now that the rain has returned, so has the puddle, which drenches pedestrians as cars drive through it.
"After heavy rains, the ground can't hold any more water," said Thomas Blume, director of Physical Plant. "That's when it's really noticeable."
Puddles are here to stay as long as it continues to rain. Two dry wells at the entrance are the only source of drainage for the entire main street. Dry wells are underground water basins that fill with water, and the ground slowly absorbs the water. Once they fill up, puddles occur.
Additionally, the city of Portland does not want UP runoff going into the sewers because they feel they already have too much water flowing into the Willamette River. According to Blume, the drainage system at UP is like a full cup of water with a tiny hole in the bottom that keeps receiving water - it is bound to overflow. This, combined with saturated ground that is unable to absorb more water, causes the flooding.
"The Romans managed to engineer roads that drained sewage off of them, and we can't manage to drain some water?" senior Tessa Daniels said.
Many have called about the puddle, believing UP is flooding. According to Physical Plant worker Carvel Cook, the puddle is not a hazard and the water drains as fast as it can. He encourages students to slow down when driving through the puddle to avoid splashing classmates.
This year, all the rain-catch basins were vacuumed out of all debris in order to drain more efficiently, but there is little that can be done when it rains. The dry wells get filled and the ground is saturated. Fifty catch basins collect water on UP's campus, yet little can be done when they fill up quickly, and the ground is unable to absorb water fast enough to prevent puddles.
"We are trying the best we can to keep up," Cook said.
Blume encourages anyone who sees a problem on campus to contact Physical Plant. They have a new system in place where they will respond to anyone's concern, investigate it and directly respond back to them with their findings.
Currently, Cook and other Physical Plant workers are investigating the slushy grass swamp adjacent to Swindells. The soggy grass is problematic to mow and take care of, and Physical Plant looks to improve that area in the future.
"We appreciate feedback of any kind," Blume said.
