Water at Hogg Memorial Auditorium will be shut off for a brief period of time Thursday morning as workers test a new fire hydrant installed outside of the building this week.

The University has approximately 70 fire hydrants on the main campus and tests each of them annually. Results of the annual testing found the valve meant to turn water off in the fire hydrant was not working properly.

Laurie Lentz, manager in the department of business and financial services, said replacing the hydrant, which was first installed in the 1940s, will prevent the possibility of water waste.

“The hydrant would still have the ability to do fire suppression with the malfunctioning valve,” Lentz said. “But if there would have been a fire, after suppressing it with the hydrant, the water would not shut off completely.”

The water for the auditorium will be turned off from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. so the hydrant and the connection to the water line can be tested. 

“Whenever there is a water shut-off, it’s coordinated with building occupants and any shops that may need to be involved,” Lentz said.

The mechanical distribution division of the Utilities and Energy Management department will finish the project after the system is tested Thursday.