Bad gasket blamed for flooding VC school

A recently installed water pipe gasket at Virginia City Middle School failed Friday morning and dumped gallons of water for more than two hours into the newly renovated basement of the D Street school.

Storey County Emergency Services Director Joe Curtis said a contractor was at the school early Friday to install a water meter with a gasket on each end.

The crew left about 8:30 a.m. and at 10:45 a.m., an off-duty school employee noticed water coming out of the north end of the building. School was not in session Friday in observance of Nevada Day.

Curtis said that by the time crews arrived, the pipe on the main floor had been flowing long enough to send water into the Storey County School District's office below. Renovation on the space was completed in September.

"There was about three inches of standing water in the maintenance room that had then flowed out into the hall and down the stairs into the basement," Curtis said. "There was about an inch or two of standing water throughout the basement as well."

Curtis said drywall, carpet padding and carpet in the basement will have to be replaced as well as a computer. He said some of the paper records and items still in boxes on the floor were also damaged or destroyed.

Principal Todd Hess said that despite the mess, school will be in session Monday.