Most Heating Systems at Colorado State University Expected to be Ready by Sept. 20 or Sooner

Six of eight buildings at Colorado State University lacking heat because of damage from the July flood are expected to be back on line by Sept. 20 or earlier, said Ron Baker, director of Facilities Management at the university.

The other two buildings – Morgan Library and Lory Student Center – are expected to have at least partial heat by Oct. 1.

In addition to the student center and library, buildings without heat are Eddy Hall, Education, Gibbons, Hartshorn Health Center, Music and Occupational Therapy.

Baker said repairing the heating systems in Lory Student Center and Morgan Library is more difficult than in the other buildings, so those systems will require an additional 10 days to repair.

Although the university’s Heating Plant was submerged under 18 feet of water after the July 28 flood, Facilities Management personnel repaired and fired up one of three boilers at the plant within a week. The repairs allowed hot water to flow once again in buildings throughout campus.

The basement in the Heating Plant was submerged, and the water line at the plant reached to the tops of doors on the first floor, said John Morris from the operations management department of Facilities Management. One of the boilers was running when flood water hit and sustained serious damage. Control units and other electrical components were damaged as well.

The university brought in a portable boiler from Illinois at a cost of $56,000, and steam was on the way to high-priority buildings such as residence halls that housed conference attendees and laboratories that required autoclaves for sterilization.

In addition to heat, the Heating Plant provides steam for cooking, humidification, autoclaves and other uses.