When water lines break underground, the resulting repairs may cause sections of pipe or damaged valves to be removed and replaced. Soil may be introduced into the lines and may cause water to run cloudy or rusty once water service is restored. Sometimes the water in a residence hall will look rusty or cloudy after long periods of not being used, such as semester breaks or over the summer. Running water in sinks or showers will help run the dirt through the lines. When the fire department opens hydrants as part of their annual checks, sediment can be brought along in water lines. This, too, may cause water to appear cloudy or rusty. Although these are almost always the reasons water may not look perfectly clear, feel free to report suspect water in a work request so someone can look into each problem.