What is MSUs water treatment process like?
Water from the 18 wells is pumped to the reservoir, except for water used for irrigation at the farms and golf courses. From the reservoir, it is sent around campus for the various buildings. The steam that is fed to the campus returns as condensate and is cleaned up and fed into the open feedwater preheater. The campus acts like a condenser for the power plant, and it is getting heat without having to maintain furnace or boiler equipment for each building. MSU is not near a large enough body of water to pull cooling water from it. We are not permitted (and would not want) to raise the temperature of the Red Cedar River. Therefore, we have to use some of the power we generate to run cooling towers to chill the water. Cooling towers are the large, industrial-looking rectangular structures that you often see water vapor emanating from at all times of the year. If you drive by the power plant, you will see them across from the power plant, on the north side of Service Road. Water Treatmen
