A construction worker stands in a steamy pit on the corner
of East Hanna Street and South College Avenue. Acrid smelling
steam has leaked from the ground in multiple locations
around campus in the last month, including near the
main entrance of the GCPA.
SAM CARAVANA / THE DEPAUW
Hoover Hall's construction isn’t the only reason for breaking ground on DePauw University’s campus.
The central steam plant, located under Larabee and Indiana Streets, houses boilers that boil natural gas, which is then transferred into steam in order to heat different buildings throughout campus. Facilities management was seen digging at the corner of Hanna and College Streets due to a recent steam leak found in the underground piping.
The steam leak sparked student concerns and discussions last Monday.
Sophomore Sarah Brougher, shares her concerns: “It concerned me that it seems that the steam holes appear out of nowhere. Is there something underground that wasn’t properly put together? And if that is the case, what is DePauw going to do about it?”
Brougher is one of many students that have voiced a concern. Sophomore Mallory Benson claims they appear unsanitary and unsafe. “I try to avoid them at all costs because the warmth and the humidity the steam creates immediately upon touching my skin is incredibly unnerving,” said Benson.
Although the steam appears dangerous, Assistant Director of Facilities Management Operations, Jim Ruark, confirms that the DePauw community should not be concerned.
“If the insulation on a steam line fails and ground water gets on the pipe then steaming will occur,” said Ruark.
Due to the very high ground water table in Bowman Park, most of these leaks occur during the wet season or during heavy rain, explained Ruark. As the water level in the ground increases the insulations are subject to deteriorate causing then the pipe to overheat, presenting leaks.
“About fifty percent of the time this problem isn’t due to a steam leak but rather an insulation issue,” said Ruark.
According to Ruark, the pipe is about 300 degrees Fahrenheit and surrounded by a thick wall of insulation and then covered by another jacket.
“When this does happen we have to go in and dig up the ground in order to cut the bad insulation away so we can reinsulate it to keep the water away from the pipe,” explained Ruark. “The goal is to keep water away from the pipe.”
The visibility of steam is not always present, and often has more to due with the air temperature verses the warming ground temperature caused by the deteriorating insulation.
Unfortunately, a horrible is smell is often associated with the leaking steam. Benson associates the holes with sewage due to their horrible smell. “They smell like they’re choking my lungs,” said Benson.
However, these smells aren’t from sewage leaks. Ruark says the smell is simply because the ground temperature is rapidly rising in a localized point.
“Imagine the ground is cooking,” said Ruark. “Cooking grass clippings and sod as organics just give off an odor.”
Ruark confirms there is no smell associated with steam, but sometimes the insulation itself will have an odor because is has completely eroded away.
The whole section of line that goes through Lilly have caused issues and therefore steam-feathers pop up. Usually facilities management discovers these hot spots in the ground two to three times a year where they have to dig on the line. When discovered it is usually due to the appearance of dead grass. However, facilities management has the ability to use infrared guns to localize the hot spots and record ground temperature.
Ruark reports that it is a joint effort between facilities staff and outside contractors to do the "earth work."
“I hope to have it fixed by the end of the day today [Monday],” said Ruark. “The steaming has stopped, and that's how we know there isn’t a leak anymore.”