Many students were surprised when they returned to campus to find a brand new 135-foot waterfall system on campus.

The system is installed in the mall between the University Center and Hyland Hall. Although many people were not expecting the new addition, the university has been planning it for a while.

Steve Bertagnolli, buildings and grounds supervisor, has wanted some type of water feature on campus for 10 years.

“We started planning about three years ago,” Bertagnolli said. “At that time we didn’t have a donor, but at least we had the concept. Then about a year ago, a donor stepped up and hired a company to draw plans and facilitate the building of it.”

Construction started on the water feature this past July and will continue until mid-October. According to Bertagnolli, another section will be added to the south side of the feature. It will include a four-foot waterfall.

Bertagnolli said the feature will only run for about a month after completion, maybe less. Due to weather, the system will be shut off sometime in November until March or April, depending on the winter season.

The funds for the feature were donated by the Theune siblings in memory of their late parents, Warren and Virginia. Their parents met when they were both students at UW-Whitewater, and the four siblings all attended the university. Two of them eventually worked on campus.

Because the Theune family donated the money specifically for the water feature, the university was unable to use the funds for anything else.

Water for the feature is being pumped from an underground spring beneath Hyland Hall. There are two large sump pumps running 24 hours a day, keeping Hyland from being flooded. Water is taken from those pumps to fill the new system. Bertagnolli said there is “minor electric” needed to run the system.

Although Bertagnolli said he is happy with how the water feature is turning out, he worries about keeping the system and surrounding landscaping maintained.

On Aug. 26, two men were found in the water system. One of the men was Junior Alex Edmunds, a student at UW-Whitewater. According to the police report, Edmunds was swimming in the water feature “wearing only his underwear.”

Edmunds was joined by alumnus Alexander Kultgen, 26, who was “wading in the pool,” according to the report.

Edmunds and Kultgen both admitted to being in the water feature. Edmunds stated there were no signs saying not to swim in the fountain.

Officer Ryan Dewing was the responding officer and did not locate any damage to the system, so he let both men go with a warning.

Bertagnolli warned that if someone were to break one of the lights on the water feature, they would likely be shocked by 120 volts. He also stated the water feature is under 24-hour camera surveillance.

University Police is also working to protect the new system. Sgt. Faye Schouten said there are extra patrols working day and night “in order to maintain the feature.”

“The police department is keeping an extra eye on it,” Schouten said. “Hopefully that encourages others not to go in the feature or vandalize it … This will continue as long as necessary.”

Although the water feature is nearing completion, Bertagnolli said there is a lot more to come over the next couple years.

“It’s going to evolve,” Bertagnolli said. “It will take two to three years before the plants are mature where they really will be outstanding.”

The end result will include over 50 different types of plants and the university is looking for donors to provide benches and picnic tables to surround the system.

Bertagnolli foresees the water feature being a gathering area for anyone on campus in the future.

“We have something that’s going to be attractive for years to come,” Bertagnolli said. “That will be the focal point for this university for a long time.”