On Jan. 17, the City of Waltham Public Works crew officially began repairs on one of the South Street water mains after a leak travelled down the hill between Gosman Sports and Recreation Center and Linsey Sports Center and entered the basement of Linsey, which contains brand new electrical equipment.

The work was originally set to begin on Jan. 16 at 9 a.m., but was delayed due to the inclement weather. Senior Vice President of Administration Mark Collins sent out emails to update the Brandeis community on the progress of the repairs, as well as which buildings would lack domestic water after the water main was shut down to pursue these repairs.

"There is a water line that basically comes down South Street, and then branches off and goes over towards the Charles River area," said Collins in an interview with the Justice. "There are branches that feed Gosman, feed Linsey, feed Foster Mods going in another direction ... A piece of it could also feed the castle, so they shut off this main that's coming down South Street to try and isolate where the break is."

Due to the water main's reach, bathroom facilities and the pool were to be out of commission, and Gosman was to be closed due to the lack of domestic water to the facility from the water main. However, due to the postponement caused by the snow, Gosman was only closed temporarily that morning and re-opened for recreational use at noon, while Linsey remained closed for the remainder of the day on Jan. 16.

"This is an old piece of pipe, and actually, this is a part of the steam system," said Collins holding a rusted pipe. "While this is a water pipe, this system is used with the big steam lines next to it, so steam is fed in, turns back into water, runs back into the plant, and then recycles again like that."

The City of Waltham Public Works crew is working to locate the damaged pipe that caused the leak.

"You have a main, and then you have a variety of feeds that come off of that main. We will be repairing the pipe," said Collins. "It's generally made by identifying where the breach is in the pipe, and cutting that pipe in that spot before and after it, replacing that section of pipes, and then using sleeves to connect the pipes.

Although Linsey and Gosman will remain open for use, future closings could occur if necessary.

"Athletics will continue to work with Facilities Services, as they coordinate with the City of Waltham, to make the necessary repairs," said Director of Athletics Sheryl Sousa '90 in an email to the Justice.

"Athletics will update the community on any future impact to the facilities or programming via the Athletics website and through signs posted in Gosman and Linsey as necessary," she continued.

The source of the leakage was still undetermined as of press time.