A plastic fractured sprinkler pipe soaked two University Suites Oct. 13 during a test run, according to University Housing.

“It’s a pipe inside the wall that ruptured during testing,” Housing Director Pete Trentacoste said. “That’s a high-pressure line.”

The water spray hit room 410, Trentacoste said, and then leaked into room 310. The damage suffered, according to Trentacoste, was minimal. Nevertheless, he said Housing is giving students laundry gift certificates.

Technically, he said, Northern Kentucky University isn’t responsible for costs from the damage.

“Contractually, they need to have a policy to cover damage,” he said. On housing forms, students are reminded that they should obtain rental insurance policies. The university would be liable for costs only if it were found negligent. To recoup such costs, Trentacoste said, students would have to appeal to a state claim board by filling out the appropriate forms, available in Housing’s office.

Trentacoste said that nobody anticipated the issue. In fact, he said in his four years here he’s never seen such a problem.

The pipe has been repaired, he said, and is functioning normally. Nevertheless, it serves as “a great reminder,” he said.

“Their property needs to be covered,” Trentacoste said.