Almost as soon as the relatively minor earthquake Monday near Columbia ended, locals jokingly pledged to rebuild.

Turns out those few seconds of trembling did damage something.

Howard Community College is tracing a “substantial” water main breach on its main campus this week to the magnitude 2.5 earthquake.

The damage was severe enough for the community college to cancel its board of trustees meeting Wednesday as facilities officials prepared to excavate the green area between McCuan Hall and the Kahlert Foundation Complex on its downtown Columbia campus. The repairs will require water to be shut off in all main campus buildings, the college said in a news release.

Howard Community College serves about 13,000 students and employs more than 2,500 people. Officials have not said whether the excavation will impact classes or other campus operations.

A college representative did not respond immediately to a request for comment Wednesday afternoon.

The water main break is the first reported damage attributed to the earthquake, which was considered relatively small by seismologists but rattled many people across the region. No injuries were reported, but many locals were surprised by the quake and some reported feeling it as far away as Silver Spring.

This isn’t the first time an earthquake shook Howard County and likely won’t be the last. Seismic activity has been reported in Columbia, Ellicott City and Fulton over the years, according to the Maryland Geological Survey.

This article may be updated.

Banner reporter Jess Nocera contributed to this story.