Drains Blocked on Road to Haddix

Written by Callie Cox
Edited October 5, 2010

Sandbags placed in front of the drains by the Haddix Recreation and Athletic Center are causing flooding problems on the roads.

While the sandbags are placed there as part of the construction process, freshman Leah Keller said she believed the flooding could be hazardous to students.

“It could be dangerous for students needing to get back to their dorms in a hurry or if they are walking back at night,” Keller said. “I drove through a huge puddle with my car, and it was scary because I couldn’t tell how deep it was.”

Superintendent of Hawkins Construction Dave Seda said the drains are blocked due to the ongoing construction of the Haddix Recreation and Athletic Center.

“The bags blocking the drains are called ‘gutter buddies,’” Seda said. “We are required to place them there as a rule set by the NDEQ.”

NDEQ stands for the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. Their mission is to protect the quality of Nebraska’s environment-including its land, air and water resources.

This department has certain requirements for every construction project. These requirements are an attempt to keep the land surrounding a construction site free of waste and contaminates during the construction process.

“The drains are blocked for sediment control; the bags keep sediment from going into the ditches.” Seda said.

While these “gutter buddies” are protecting the land surrounding the construction site from becoming contaminated, they are also inconveniencing students with the amount of water that floods the road.

“My shoes were soaked when I got back to my room,” freshmen Blair Hild said. “There was no other way to get around it, without walking in the mud.”

As construction for the Haddix Recreation and Athletic Center comes to a close, however, these bags will be removed, creating a safer road for students to walk on.