The Future of Miller Fountain at Trinity University

Lifeless empty Miller Fountain at Trinity University due to water restrictions imposed by SAWS. Photo: Digital Subway

Trinity University has experienced a temporary albeit important loss in its essence and tradition ever since Miller Fountain stopped sprouting water. Dry and lifeless, it no longer adorns Trinity’s iconic Bell Tower or the Northrup Building, which houses the “Oval Office of Trinity”. Instead, it sits mournfully among the adjacent rubble from drilling and construction sites.

The Miller Fountain has remained shut for a long time in compliance with San Antonio Water System’s (SAWS) Phase Two Drought water restrictions. The last time it sprouted was during Senior’s graduation (see picture below) and that was only for a day. The fountain has remained shut before that due to Phase One water restrictions imposed by SAWS. The sprouts that gushed forth out of fountain’s nozzles had served to palliate souls that took refuge in its solace. Instead of offering a repose to humans (who visited it for occasional escapes), an empty fountain now further aggravates feelings of emptiness and failure.

 Paurakh and me during his graduation. Best of luck for his Ph.D program at Stanford University. 

Furthermore, Trinity students have not celebrated their birthdays in the old-fashioned way ever since the fountains went dry. An important tradition has been to throw the student in the fountain on the midnight of their birthday. This has been followed without any ordinance or mention in Student Handbook. A reason to rejoice though is that some Trinity students have not given up on this tradition despite this. On one occasion, my friends and I hand-carried water in our bottles and mugs to the fountain and poured it on the birthday boy as a symbolic gesture of celebrating birthday and also upholding the Trinity tradition. I have seen some others do the same.

Water level in Edwards Aquifer for the recent 12 months. Source: SAWS website.

It is natural to ask then, when will the drought restrictions be lifted? When will Trinity students start enjoying the beauty, serenity and the tradition offered by Miller Fountain they had hitherto taken for granted? The answer lies on SAWS website. Currently, San Antonio is in Phase Two water restrictions due to drought which has decreased the water level in Edwards Aquifer. Edwards Aquifer is the only source of clean drinking water from the underground in San Antonio. The water level has been receding due to lack of rainfall but continued usage by city dwellers. Phase I is enacted when the water level drops below 660 ft below sea level. And Phase II is enacted when it drops below 650 ft below sea level. Currently, the water level is around 643 ft. Following the water level trend in the last two months, SAWS might have to declare Phase III soon if, the water level drops below 640 ft. The water restrictions will be even stricter and seeing sprouts in Miller Fountain might be a distant dream.

So, is it all doom for Trinity students  and residents of San Antonio? Should we all start praying to the God for showering us with some love and rain? Of course, there is an option for us to reduce our water consumption by taking shorter showers and using electric razors among others. We are talking about a drastic change in water consumption habits here. And that is not easy.

Verdant grass despite SAWS restrictions because Trinity uses recycled/reclaimed water. Photo: Digital Subway

On the positive side, the grasses and lawns at Trinity have still remained verdant and green, thanks to sprinkling that has been performed duly. During phase II, use of non-handheld sprinklers are prohibited, but Trinity seems to have gotten around that because it uses recycled, treated water. 

Another note to SAWS and other city dwellers (who might be jealous) to justify Trinity's use of sprinklers. Photo: Digital Subway

A short term and a hell lot easier solution to get Miller Fountain operational is to get a waiver from SAWS. If Trinity can convince SAWS that fountain’s operation is essential for reasons other than aesthetics alone and that only secondary (treated) water is being used, an exception might be granted. If not, Trinity could always use the condensate from its cooling and heating units. Condensates in most air conditioning units go to waste by default. Harvesting rainwater and treating it for circulation in the fountains is also a possibility. If all fails, the talented students and professors in Chemistry department might devise an experiment to produce inexpensive water that does not come from SAWS and thus not subject to drought restrictions. The dry fountains should serve as the innovation bed for Trinity’s creative minds.

Trinity Construction: Upgrading Tennis Courts

Tennis Courts at Trinity University in midst of upgrade. Photo: Digital Subway

In the wake of recession, most universities' endowments suffered a major blow. However, anyone would be skeptical to believe this given the aggressiveness of construction projects at Trinity University. A perfectly good tennis court in great condition, with a capacity for eight simultaneous games was torn down for an upgrade right before our eyes. I overheard a Trinity student saying, "They took down a freakin' good tennis court, it better look damn good once it's completed."

This is how the tennis courts shown above looked before  upgrade. Source:  http://bit.ly/qV7EQR

The administration has proclaimed that the tennis court was in dire need for a major face-lift, additional seating capacity, shading for spectators, a scoreboard and extra space between individual courts. It can be agreed that shading, scoreboard and extra spaces are welcome attributes to an already awesome tennis court in red and green. However, it will be an arduous task to find supporters who would agree that the tennis ground itself needed a major face-lift. 

Tennis Court beside Murchison is also being upgraded. Photo: Digital Subway

Spending more than 2 million dollars for just adding shade, extra space between courts and a scoreboard appears as an imprudent move in terms of economics and value obtained. However, there is little room for argument among amateur economists (including me) when decisions like these are thoughtfully approved by economic scholar and university president Dr. Dennis Ahlburg and other wise board members in the light of all possible investment opportunities.

Trinity Construction: Utility Plants and Horizontal Drilling (video)

Trinity University in a maze. Photo: Digital Subway

If you miss the exhilaration and excitement of finding your way through a maze, consider visiting Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. It is free and open to public which makse it the best deal anyone could find in these tough economic times. A green and beautiful campus has become a maze and a sight of bustling activities due to simultaneous construction projects being undertaken. 

Laying out of pipelines for consolidation of utility plants at Trinity. Photo: Digital Subway

One of the projects in the process is the consolidation of three utility plants into two in order to be efficient and save space for Center for Sciences and Innovation. Currently, three central heating/cooling units service the university's needs for hot and cold water. These shall be consolidated into two energy-efficient units - one boiler and chiller each separately. 

Drilling Machine used for horizontal drilling. Photo: Digital Subway

At first, it might seem like a multi-million dollar project like this may not be cost-effective keeping in mind the elimination of benefit from heat exchange that could take place between boiler and chiller if placed in the same plant. However, the new chillers use modern technology to cool water and thus their operational costs will be lower in the long run and result in net savings. I have neither looked at economics nor technical details behind the equipment used in this project so I can not comment any further. But it has been acclaimed that the project will be completed before university reopens in Fall 2011.

A worker joining pipes for injecting drilling fluid. Photo: Digital Subway

A project of this magnitude is no easy task and requires rigorous drilling at multiple sites to re-channel pipelines for flow of hot/cold waters. The Californian contractor performing this task is using horizontal drilling, the same controversial technique using in extracting natural gas from shale formations - also known as fracking. The only difference in this project that has exempted it from being criticized by environmental groups, students or professors alike is the lack of use of hazardous chemicals. However, upon closer inspection, I discovered that a drilling liquid (see below) is being injected while drilling. Since I was unable to obtain a sample or conduct any tests, its nature and toxicity remains a mystery.

A Gel/Drilling fluid of unknown toxicity injected during horizontal drilling. Photo: Digital Subway

Pipes for chiller and boiler. Photo: Digital Subway

An anonymous Californian worker (anonymous because I forgot to ask his name) described that the tip of the drilling machine has a 2 degrees bend which allows easy maneuvering and makes horizontal drilling possible. A metallic pipe of 2 inches in diameter and 10 or 15 feet in length is first used to drill a hole from one end to another, which can be as long as 1000 feet. As drills are made, more pipes are joined using a socket. Furthermore, once the initial drill is made, other drills are made around it to accommodate the larger pipe which could be several inches in diameter. See a video demonstration of this process below. He admitted that it is a difficult task and requires both strength and technique. However, it pays well since he is part of a labor union back in California.

               Video clip of horizontal drilling process at Trinity University. By Digital Subway

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