Officials at Longwood University are actively working to correct the excessive smoke produced by the Heating Plant on campus. In the past few months, the smoke has been unusually thick, covering the air around campus and in town on some days.
In a university press release dated March 14, Vice President for Facilities Management and Real Property Dick Bratcher said, "We apologize for the recent unintentional episodes of smoke that have caused uncomfortable conditions throughout parts of town. It is our goal to be a good neighbor as we strive also to be good stewards of the state's resources."
Bratcher added that the university has already notified the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ), which regulates emissions in the Commonwealth and surveys environmental impacts, about the situation at the Heating Plant. The VDEQ and Longwood have outlined a plan in hopes to alleviate the problem. The press release also said "two outside firms" are examining the problem to see if the root cause of the excess smoke can be pinpointed.
The fuel-efficient heating plant officially opened September 2011. Located on Barlow Field, the new plant replaced the old heating plant constructed in 1938. The new biomass plant contains two large silos, measuring a combined capacity of 400,000 cubic feet, enclosed in a brick facade building.
By burning biomass from local sawmills, the plant is considered to be environmental, sustainable and emits less harmful pollutants compared to plants that burn coal, oil and gas. The university is the only public higher education institution that burns biomass for fuel.
Nearly 80 percent of the heat and hot water on campus is supplied by biomass, which has been in place since 1983. Last fiscal year, the university saved $2.8 million through sawdust burning.
Additional attempts to reach Bratcher and Facilities Operations Manger Ben Myers for more information were unsuccessful.
