Repairs to flooded Kamloops university building estimated to cost $700,000

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A busted water pipe in the B.C. Centre for Open Learning (OL) at Thompson Rivers University ended up costing an estimated $700,000 to repair.

The Jan. 11 break flooded the building's first floor, where the university's IT Services operated. The floor has been closed for repairs since then, while the second to fourth floors remained open.

"We expect the repairs to the first floor of the OL building to be completed by the end of next week," says Juli Holloway, executive communications specialist, in an email. "The cost to repair the building damage will be $350,000 and the cost to replace equipment will be $350,000."

Luckily, the server room did not sustain damage during the pipe break. However, items like computers, printers, and office equipment were not recoverable.

The costs are being covered by the university’s insurer.

It was the first of a few water main breaks around Kamloops this winter, but the pipe failure was not a result of cold weather. Holloway previously told KamloopsMatters the incident was "a one-off" caused by the failure of a pressure-reducing valve.