Of_cials Aim to Keep Well Wet

But after a student e-mail inquired about the reason behind the dry well, officials are now trying to get the fountain flowing year-round.

For the last few years, the University has cut off the water supply to the Old Well from November to March to prevent the well's pipes from freezing, said Bruce Runberg, associate vice chancellor for facilities services.

But Runberg said the University is now planning to take steps to keep the well running all year after Chancellor James Moeser received an e-mail from a UNC graduate student concerned about the fountain being dry.

Runberg said it was the first comment on the well's inactivity he had received in his eight years on the job.

"I think it simply highlighted that this is a very important landmark, and there is the tradition associated with taking a drink on the first day of classes," he said.

"So we'll try to keep it open year-round so everyone can get a bit of luck year-round."

Runberg said the University is looking into installing valves that are not susceptible to freezing or strip-heaters, which wrap around the pipes and heat them with electricity.

The improvements will be made before next winter. Runberg said it is too early to know the exact cost, but he estimated it at a few hundred dollars for each option.

The Old Well found on campus today is a renovated version of the original, built in 1898. The well was UNC students' only source of water on campus through the 1890s.

But today few students stop for a drink and don't notice the well's dry winters.

"I have (drunk from the well) like twice," said sophomore Kim Washington, a health policy and administration major from Charleston, S.C.

"I really don't drink from it everyday. I just heard you should drink from it once before you graduate."

Other students stay away from the fountain because of concerns about the water's purity.

"I don't know much about the Old Well, but I've heard that's kind of dirty water in there, so I choose not to drink from it," said freshman Justin Fitzpatrick, a political science and international studies major from Haverhill, Mass.

Freshman Dane Barrett, a biology major from Fairfax, Va., said his C-TOPS orientation counselor told him fraternity pledges urinate into the Old Well's water supply.

"So many people come and drink out of it," said sophomore Danielle Trannon, a communications studies major from Winston-Salem.

"People here are crazy. You don't know if they pee in it or what. I'm just very hygienic."

Runberg said students have no reason to be concerned about the Old Well water's cleanliness because it is provided by the Orange Water and Sewer Authority. The landmark has served up city water since 1925 when the well was sealed and the first fountain was installed.

"It is city water and OWASA provides a high-quality product," he said.

"There's no reason to fear the water there any more than any water in any other fountain at the University."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.