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Augustana campus clean up begins after failed pipe drains slough, causes water damage

“We’re taking it as an opportunity to really clean up the slough and make it even better,” said Sam Schlouch after a pipe collapsed draining t...

ROCK ISLAND - Augustana College is working to clean up after an old pipe collapsed underneath it's slough over the weekend.

"It's a disaster, it's just a total disaster," said Tom Bengtson, professor of math and computer science.

Bengston and Dennis Norling, associate professor of business administration, looked out at what little was left of the slough on Monday afternoon.

"I walk by this every day, a lot of days twice a day and all the frogs, we had lots of frogs this year," said Bengston.

Now, there's very little left to look at with only a few puddles left on the bottom.

"I didn't realize the slough was that deep, when I was a student here back in the 1960's we'd swim in the slough as a prank, or something like that," said Norling.

The rushing water from the slough caused a sink hole on the other side of campus that crews were working to fix.

"That caused water to rush into it, which then went all the way down campus to some of our lower campus buildings," said Sam Schlouch, senior communication director.

The water caused damage at Bergendoff, Centennial Hall, the Carver Center, and Knowlton Outdoor Athletic Complex.

The college is working with the city of Rock Island to figure out how to fix it.

"We're taking it as an opportunity to really clean up the slough and make it even better," said Schlouch.

Until then, the slough on campus will remain closed off.

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