Well, actually I think it's just steam from testing of the new Power Plant; sure makes enough of the white stuff. And they are still using Amherst effluent water in the production process, so you may not want to breath in those clouds directly. Last year Umass paid the water/sewer fund $38,000 for the superdiscounted effluent. This year they used roughly the same amount but paid zero. Side benefit of the 'Strategic Agreement'.
8 comments:
Larry, go read the Ward Commission report, including the part about what happens if you use anything other than distilled water in a steam plant.
They are essentially taking water out of a brook (in HADLEY) that would otherwise flow (through HADLEY) to the Connecticut. The fact that the Amherst sewer outflow dumps into and contributes to this is irrelevant.
Second, this is a steam vent, they need to keep the line from the new plant to the old one warm.
Third, you want to talk "fair", why is it "fair" for Amherst to be charging UMass MORE for this water than they charge you for drinking water????
>Yeshaq A. Warren, of 54 Stanley St., is the latest to pull papers from the town clerk's office.
He joins
>Calvin Brower,
>Aaron Hayden,
>David Keenan and
>Vladimir Morales
And, the RACE goes on.
Until later...............
Yeah well, with #5's public record I don't think the other four have anything to worry about:
Bully police log 12/22/06
* Yeshaq A. Warren, 21, of Stanley Street, Amherst, was arrested Dec. 14 at 5:27 a.m. in Lot 44 off Sylvan Drive on charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct, police said.
Hey Ed,
About six years ago Umass DPW types approached Amherst DPW types and asked if they could get a Hell of a deal on effluent because they wanted to float some bonds for the new $100 million power plant and create infrastructure (a pipeline) for a cheap source of “fuel” (effluent) to make it work--and cheap effluent was key to making the financing proposal work.
So Amherst gave them the bargain rate of 50 cents per 100 cubic feet (and since the Select Board are also Water/Sewer Commissioners they must have approved that at some point) when at the time normal water was $3 per 100 cubic feet but if you were on town water you were also charged another $3 per 100 cubic feet as the Sewer charge or a grand total of $6 per hundred cubic feet.
Last year UMass, paid the Town of Amherst $38,000 for 57 million gallons used at the old steam plant for heating. According to UMass engineers the new power plant, which will also produce electricity, will consume 200,000 gallons per day or 73 million gallons annually for a cost (at the old 50 cent effluent rate) of $49,000.
If Hickory Ridge Golf Course used the same amount of potable water that Umass used in FY06 at the old power plant instead of paying the town $38,000 they would have paid $228,000.
The new Integrated Science Building has a Cooling Tower Unit immediately adjacent to it with a rated effluent consumption of about 80% of the power plant, or about 58 million gallons for an additional cost of $39,000 (at the old super discounted 50 cent rate). But that is now zero.
And since the effluent is now FREE the Athletic Department is looking into using it for irrigation.
Interestingly the number one day for water consumption in 2006 came in June (when the heating plant was obviously not working very hard, but all those pretty Umass athletic fields were sucking down lots of potable water (at $6 per 100 cubic feet)
IF Umass wants to go to Hadley for its water then they should feel free: Hadley charges top water users $4.85/100 cubic feet--better than 50% more than Amherst charges Umass.
Slight correction:
That Hadley rate is for water only and does not include sewer.
Current Amherst water rate is $3.20 and I don't think we charge Umass the Sewer rate on top of that.
>Yeshaq A. Warren, of 54 Stanley St.
I believe that 54 Stanley Street is owned by the Amherst Housing Authority...
Not so sure that Yeshaq is male...
UMass water UNSAFE?
(Yes folks, this does affect Amherst)
Bacteria in water could cause Amherst to issue a boil-water order Saturday
by The Republican Newsroom
Friday August 29, 2008, 1:09 PM
By NANCY H. GONTER
ngonter@repub.com
AMHERST - Officials are awaiting the results of a second round of water testing for bacteria which if positive, could result in a boil order.
Robert E. Pariseau, director of water resources for Amherst, said that a test of water sampled earlier this week at Village Park Apartments on East Pleasant Street tested positive for disease-causing e. coli bacteria, although the water also showed high counts of chlorine.
Two other locations, the University of Massachusetts campus center and an office at the corner of Lincoln and Fearing streets, showed the presence of coliform which is not disease-causing, but "an indicator organism," Pariseau said.
"It's more of a heads-up that you may have something wrong," he said.
Those sites and seven others are being resampled today, and if any is positive for total coliform or e. coli, a boil order will be issued, Pariseau said. Results should be available around noon Saturday, and information will be given to residents through a "reservse 911" calling system that calls all town telephones, on the town's Web site, www.amherstma.gov and through media outlets, he said.
Meanwhile, University of Massachusetts officials are scheduled to meet this afternoon to determine what steps would be taken if the boil order is issued, said Edward F. Blaguszewski, director of news and information at UMass.
"We've been in close contact with Amherst water authorities. We have been making a contingency plan should there be a second test that requires a boil order," Blagusewski said.
More than 12,000 UMass students are scheduled to move into on-campus housing on Sunday and Monday.
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