Water, water everywhere — and not a drop seems to ever leave Emory’s campus.

Since my freshman year, the Emory campus physically transformed in accordance with the Master Plan. During the last three years, I have seen the construction of the School of Medicine; New Turman, Few and Evans residence halls; a new psychology building; a new sorority complex and the new theology school. Across Clifton Road, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta also unveiled a striking new addition and main entrance.

I have also observed a fair amount of residence hall demolitions — Turman West, Gilbert, Thomson, Longstreet and Means. Additionally, the University also realigned Eagle Row, altered the path of Dowman Dr. under the entrance gate and remodeled the staircase leading to the Woodruff Health Sciences Center Administrative Building. Currently, the new campus bookstore continues to take shape near Emory Village and a new freshman hall and parking deck rise on the old Means and Longstreet site. The dizzying pace of construction represents Emory’s firm commitment to become a destination research university.

But that’s not all. The Emory campus increasingly suffers from the impact of poor storm water management during even routine storms. This week’s extensive water damage to Dooley’s Depot and the rear of the Dobbs University Center is a reminder that our infrastructure cannot cope with the pace of construction without sufficient maintenance.

Emory enjoys fabulous new buildings and relishes the green-construction LEED certifications, but why no sewers on the quad? Even light rainstorms cause impassable puddles of standing water along sidewalks. Behind the DUC, the C Route shuttle waiting area transforms into a small lake during every storm. The smooth bricks and lack of suitable drainage along the steep descent from the DUC to Cox Hall and Asbury Circle cause many students to slip and fall.

Sustainable construction requires reliable systems to capture runoff water. When Emory accepts lazy sewer maintenance and permits drains to fill with debris — as the DUC flood revealed — our buildings age faster and require expensive renovations. We may pride ourselves on our buildings and pedestrian-friendly campus, but our clogged gutters and swollen drainage system represent a ticking threat to the quality of life and structural integrity of our campus.

Beyond Emory, the issue of water management deserves priority in Metro Atlanta. The busy thoroughfares around Emory, such as Clairmont and Briarcliff Roads, lack curbs and excess storm water often fills entire lanes, which slow traffic, cause accidents and waste motorists’ time. Driving on wet Atlanta roadways should not provide a cause for special concern, but the poor maintenance of the infrastructure in addition to the high-traffic routes epitomize a failure of local political leadership and transportation planning.

Recently, Emory students heard from a state politician about the state’s roads. Georgia House minority leader Dubose Porter spoke to students in an event covered by the Wheel last week. Porter, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor, spoke about proper water management and the necessary capital investment needed to alleviate our water woes.

Hopefully, university leaders — especially our architect — will address the community about the real and growing concerns about flooding on our campus. At a time when Emory is deeply engaged in reshaping the campus in accordance with the Master Plan, charges of insufficient water management and maintenance deserve honest and forthright answers.

Critical advances in the liberal arts, science and business take place every day in a small and dense space. I hope flooding and clogged drains will not jeopardize Emory’s upward trajectory.

Stanton Abramson is a College senior from Raleigh, N.C. He is president of the Young Dems of Emory.