Last week’s rains slowed down construction projects around campus, but they also served as an opportunity to test that the arroyos and acequias that channel water flow through campus and the system worked as expected. When the heaviest downpours occurred Sept. 17, the two inches of rain sank into the retention pond in front of the Administration Building and ended up in the arroyos along Hawthorne Street. One benchmark was the sidewalks next to Centennial Plaza were clear of mud from the job site. The few muddy areas were the result of oversaturated decomposed granite spots, which would be repacked after the water in the areas have percolated down into the soil to help the new vegetation.