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MU Power Plant Smokestacks Require Repair in Spring

Power Plant towers
File Photo
/
KBIA

The South smokestack of the University of Missouri Power Plant is accumulating yellow streaks of rust, which is requiring it to be restored.  

The rust began to appear in the summer, but rust has still not appeared on the North smokestack.

Karlan Seville is a spokesperson for MU Campus Facilities.  She said that even though the North smokestack does not appear to have rust, there could still be a problem.

“Right now we don’t know why the South smokestack has rust issues and the North does not," Seville said.  "You know potentially yes we could have some rust issues.” 

Campus Facilities is trying to determine whether to clean off the rust or recoat the surface of the smokestack. 

In 2010, the University spent $3.8 million to remove rust, fix crack and install new platforms.  Seville said that the platforms that were installed could be the cause of the rust.

“The platforms that are on the power plant smokestacks are made of steel, so those steel platforms we think are rusting," Seville said. "This is an industrial area so we expect these type of things to happen.”

Campus Facilities will use money from its plant maintenance and repair funds to complete the work.  Seville said the cost of the project will be unknown until they put the project out for bids in the spring.

“It’s undetermined right now," Seville said. "We will put a package together later whenever it’s ready to be bid on and then we will know what that project should approximately cost.”

The project is expected to start next spring and should be completed before the start of school in the fall.