USD medical science building floods in animal center
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USD medical science building floods in animal center

During the night an industrial hose sprung a leak in the Andrew E. Lee Memorial Medicine and Science building at the University of South Dakota, leaving a busy morning for the custodial staff.

Around 6 a.m. Jessica Rohan, a laboratory animal technician, discovered the leaking hose in the animal center where various animals, such as mice, are held for experiments.

Kevin O’Kelly, the assistant vice president for research compliance, said the hallway in the animal center had about a half inch of standing “clean” water. O’Kelly said the custodial staff, some of whom don’t work in the building, “rushed to help.”

“Fourtunately the animal rooms have lips at the base of the doors so very little water got into the animal rooms. For the most part it was confined to the hallway,” O’Kelly said. “The animals never got wet.”

The flood was cleaned up by 7:30 a.m.

The animal center, which is located in the basement of the building, is a resticted area.