Acidic water leaks at cogeneration plant

Workers reported a leak of acidic waste water at the University’s cogeneration plant on Sunday morning. The plant, which generates electricity and heat for campus, was shut down, and the hot water supply to dormitories was disrupted from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m on Sunday.

Less than 10 gallons of the liquid — a byproduct of the production process at the plant — leaked from a tank where it is usually neutralized and spilled onto the floor, University spokeswoman Cass Cliatt ’96 said. Workers were also concerned that the spilled liquid was more acidic than usual. An initial report of a poisonous gas leak was clarified upon further investigation.

Several fire trucks and ambulances were dispatched to the plant, which is located in a cluster of facilities along Elm Drive, between Lot 23 and MacMillan Building on Elm Drive. A hazardous material team arrived on scene from Trenton at 10:40 a.m, Cliatt said.

Public Safety officers also declared the portion of Elm Drive adjacent to the plant a “hot zone” and closed it to traffic for roughly 90 minutes. Public Safety officials referred a request for comment to the University’s Office of Communications.

Workers left the plant to retrieve safety gear after the spill was reported and then returned to the building with the hazmat team and Public Safety officers to assess the situation, Cliatt said. They found that a leaky drain valve had released waste from a neutralizing tank, and they added water to the spilled liquid to dilute it.

The spill was contained to the cogeneration plant, and no workers were injured as a result of the incident. The situation was cleared by 1:15 p.m.

“They acted out of caution,” Cliatt explained. “There was no potential danger to workers.”

No similar leak has occurred previously at the plant, which was installed in 1996. Workers are currently investigating why the acidity of the spilled waste water was greater than usual, Cliatt said.

The plant is responsible for 85 percent of the University's carbon emissions and has been praised for its sustainable energy production practices. It uses heat produced as a byproduct of electricity generation for the University’s building heating systems. It received the Energy Star Combined Heat and Power Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2007. The facilities department successfully operated the plant's gas turbine system with soy-based biodiesel in the fall 2007 and currently has a permit to run part of the plant on biofuels derived from vegetable oil or animal fat.