Losing Steam
A dragon under Western’s campus may soon breathe its last breath, all in the name of carbon neutrality.
Untitled (Steam Work for Bellingham), a 20’x20’ sculpture at Western Washington University by Robert Morris in 1971 and installed in 1974, releases a variable height of steam produced by the on-campus steam plant on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in Bellingham, Wash. // Photo taken by Imogene Eagan
Story by Eleanor Geraghty // Photos by Imogene Eagan
March 15, 2024
An artistic fountain on the south campus of Western Washington University puffs out steam. The misty cloud billows from underground vents that connect to the belly of the university. The spectacle ignites the imagination, as if the water vapors were from the breath of a fierce dragon nestled within the tunnels below. Underneath the feet of students walking about campus, a combined three miles of tunnels branch out, all stemming from Western’s steam plant.
In the steam plant building, beams of light stream through the expansive arched windows. Gleaming, towering boilers dominate the space with raised catwalks and colorful pipes exuding a quiet vitality, weaving in every direction like arteries that pump warmth to campus buildings.
Greg Hough’s confident strides make his years of experience within the steam plant evident as he works his way through the maze of equipment. Hough is Western’s assistant director for the facilities asset management department. He has worked at Western for over 17 years.
Greg Hough, the Assistant Director of Facilities Asset Management at Western Washington University points out significant pipe channels and control panels while giving a tour of the on-campus steam plant in Bellingham, Wash., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. // Photo taken by Imogene Eagan
Hough explained the inner workings of the steam plant, and introduced operators who are required twenty-four-seven to maintain the boilers and keep the system running smoothly. The central steam plant heats around 95% of Western’s buildings.
Large boilers, fed by natural gas, heat water into steam. Chrome-colored pipes carry the steam to buildings on campus via underground tunnel systems. Once the steam reaches a building, it is converted into hot water for heating.
Steam Plant Boiler #4 is part of a complex system that makes it possible to heat all of Western Washington University’s main campus in Bellingham, Wash., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. // Photo taken by Imogene Eagan
As the steam cools, it condenses into water and is piped back to the steam plant to be reused. The system’s reliance on steam significantly reduces its efficiency.
Last year, Western emitted over 21,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Up to 97% of the university’s direct emissions were caused by the heating system, according to a 2022 feasibility study contracted by Western.
One of the primary objectives of Western’s Sustainability Action Plan is carbon neutrality. Since the steam system is inherently inefficient, a drastic change must be made to Western’s heating system to achieve this goal.
Greg Hough, the Assistant Director of Facilities Asset Management at Western Washington University explains pipelines’ function and output at Western Washington University’s on-campus steam plant in Bellingham, Wash., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. // Photo taken by Imogene Eagan
Washington State House Bill 1390 requires universities to submit carbon emissions elimination strategies. Western is in the preliminary phases of its carbon reduction plans.
An electric heating system is one possible alternative. Along with building upgrades and energy efficiency measures, these changes could reduce Western’s main campus emissions by 90%.
It’s easier to transition an electric heating system to be powered by renewable energy like wind or solar. Western’s current heating system can only run on natural gas. Switching to an electric ond doesn’t guarantee carbon neutrality, but does make it more attainable in the long run.
Any emission reduction efforts are constrained by the steam plant’s mid-twentieth-century design. Efforts can be made to make the plant more efficient, but not enough to make it completely carbon neutral.
Large orange water pumps hold water that has traveled through Western Washington University’s campus to be drawn through green pipes. The water is then recycled through the boilers and sent back to campus in Bellingham, Wash., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. // Photo taken by Imogene Eagan
“We’re just in the process of hiring the ultimate design team. That ultimate design team will have an important role in figuring out the phasing of what comes first,” Hough said. “But you tend to start at the outside and work your way back to the plant.”
This transition may take eight to thirteen years. Funding, navigating the project’s complexity, and disruption to campus buildings and people are just a few of the obstacles in the way, according to Jeff Aslan, Western’s utility manager.
The heating plant’s conversion could cost anywhere from $400 to $560 million, according to the 2022 feasibility study. The energy transition is estimated to save money in the long run as electric heating doesn’t require twenty-four-seven maintenance and is more efficient.
Greg Hough, the Assistant Director of Facilities Asset Management at Western Washington University in front of the on-campus steam plant in Bellingham, Wash., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. // Photo taken by Imogene Eagan
Budget cuts and extra costs may put further strain on the university. Western’s annual operating budget is around $200 million. This year, annual income is 5% less than projected.
Carbon neutrality is a key goal of Western’s Sustainability Action Plan and students have a stake in how the university offsets emissions.
“I definitely care about carbon neutrality. And I think everyone should as well. I think it's important for our future,” said Western transfer student and mother, Helen Mironenko. “It’s not just up to us as individuals to do it ourselves, but to petition organizations like Western to work for it if we're going to have a future together.”
Extractable windows reveal a boiler in Western Washington University’s steam plant in Bellingham, Wash., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. // Photo taken by Imogene Eagan
Eleanor Geraghty is an environmental studies student at the College of the Environment. She is interested in exploring how decarbonization can be pushed by government agencies, incentives, and public opinion.
Imogene Eagan is a senior visual journalism student using photography to engage and educate audiences on contemporary issues.