BY NICHOLAS BRANDT AND MIKEL ESCOBAR
Living in California means two things: boiling hot summers and only a few instances of rain. Rainy days can be a good day for some people, but maybe for others, it’s not. Rain is something that we need to address when it comes to instances like flooding. In the quad, there are multiple spots where the ground is perfectly caved in. Those are not-so-perfect when it rains. One of the biggest problems in regards to flooding at WCHS is the giant body of water in the middle of the quad in front of the gym and boys locker rooms. The dip creates a ginormous pool of water that blocks the walk way for people to get through. I’ve even taken the liberty of calling it Lake Bulldog whenever I have to find a way to weave around this giant obstacle on my way to class during the passing period.
For those who haven’t seen it, pick any day that has had quite a lot of rainfall and look at the area near the gym. Chances are that you have seen exactly the issue I am talking about: there is a huge puddle smack dab in the middle of the blacktop. The custodial staff is very timely with meeting the gargantuan puddle with a pump to drain the water, but if memory serves me right, there was an actual drain there. What happened to the drain? Is it actually working, or are they blocked by something? Is the hole not big enough? Whatever is causing Lake Bulldog to form should be taken care of.
Not only does this cause an inconvenience to students, but to staff as well. Rolling COW carts is hard enough in the rain because you need a tarp, but dodging a humongous body of water in the middle of the quad can make you take the long way when coming from the L, K, and even some M buildings. Taking the long way means more time for students to be outside of class, which is bad for everyone.
It is clear that there is a problem with Lake Bulldog in the quad. How we solve this problem depends on what is the cause of this drain not working. There should at least be another functioning drain that is placed in the certain areas in quad and if the drain is clogged by something, simply cleaning this blockage will make rainy days a bit easier for students and faculty alike. If the drain is too small, then the easiest way to fix that issue is by finding a way to make the grates bigger or an alternative way to prevent hauling out the big pump and spending a long time to suck out the water, it would make things much more efficient for the students and teachers that go to their other classes everyday. It can be constructed before the bleachers are made because it won’t even be that big of a renovation.
After all, I don’t want to bring a canoe along with my umbrella.
