UPDATE: 5/20/20 10:15AM – Switching is complete.  BRC power has been restored.  Planned outage work is complete.

UPDATE: 5/20/20 9:50AM – Cable tested good.  Switching outage for ASB and Godley-Snell will be at 10AM.

UPDATE: 5/20/20 9:10AM – Cable transition is going smoothly.  Testing cable soon to prepare for switching outage on ASB and Godley-Snell.

UPDATE: 5/20/20 6:55AM – Outage for BRC will begin today at 7:00AM.  The building will be without generator backup during this outage that will last approximately 3 hours.  Godley-Snell and Administrative Services building will experience a one minute outage at the end of the outage work affecting BRC.

UPDATE: 5/19/20 10:00AM – BRC failed to go on generator power and remainder of outage work has been put on hold.  The time for the second outage for Administrative Services and Godley-Snell will be scheduled with those building BSCs.

UPDATE: 5/19/20 7:00AM – Group 3 outage on schedule for 7:30AM today.  BRC will remain on generator back up while transition work is being completed.  Follow-up outage for Godley-Snell and Administrative Services Building expected at 12:00PM.  BRC will be restored to utility power at this time.

UPDATE: 5/18/20 4:45PM – Group 2 power restored.  Work complete for the day.  Next outage for Group 3 buildings tomorrow morning at 7:30AM.  Another update will be sent before outage begins.

UPDATE: 5/18/20 4:20PM – Cable termination and testing complete. 4:30 PM outage for group 2 buildings on schedule.

UPDATE: 5/18/20 3:15PM – Work is progressing slowly in preparation for the Group 2 outage.  If no further issues arise, outage will still happen at 4:30PM, but there is a possibility of a delay for the start of the outage.

UPDATE: 5/18/20 12:55PM – All clear from Duke.  No additional outages are anticipated for Group 1 buildings.  Group 2 buildings on schedule at this time for 4:3oPM outage.

UPDATE: 5/18/20 12:40PM – Group 1 loads transferred successfully.  Final testing on Duke substation protection equipment before releasing us to continue loading should be completed in 10 minutes.

UPDATE: 5/18/20 12:18PM – On schedule for Group 1 outage at 12:30PM.  Group 1 will have a 1 minute power outage starting at 12:30PM.

UPDATE: 5/18/20 – 10:45AM – Power is on to new Switching Stations.  Still on schedule.

UPDATE: 5/18/20 – 7:05AM – Hendrix 1st outage is complete.  Building power is restored.

UPDATE: 5/18/20 – 6:50AM – Everything on track.  First outage for Hendrix will proceed at 7AM this morning.

Clemson University Facilities is working to transition the campus electrical distribution feed from the old Duke Power substation that was built in 1968 to the new substation that was just constructed on the SE edge of campus. In order to transition our distribution feeders and stations over to the new source, a few brief electrical power outages are going to be needed early next week that will affect all of campus. Energization of the new substation feed will occur Monday, May 18th. Outages are expected to last less than one minute each and are being planned in a rolling fashion across three groups to affect each campus building as few times as possible. The latest information regarding this outage will appear at the top of this post.

We’re aware of the inconvenience this may cause to many working from home, particularly those who are connecting remotely to work machines operating on campus power. Desktop PCs that are shut off as a result of the outage will need to be manually turned back on. We recommend using CUapps until this is possible for you to do so.

Areas that will be affected by campus distribution outages are shown on the map below.

If you have anything that would be adversely affected by this outage, please contact Bret McCarley at bmccarl@clemson.edu with the details so we may plan accordingly and limit the impact to campus activities.

Rolling Outage Schedule

The first outage will occur in the Hendrix Student Center at 7:00 a.m. Monday, May 18th. Thereafter, outages are being planned in a rolling fashion across 3 groups to affect each campus building as few times as possible. Group 1 loads are currently scheduled to experience a one minute outage at 12:30 p.m. Monday, May 18th. Group 2 loads (which includes the Hendrix Student Center) are currently scheduled to experience a one minute outage at 4:30 p.m. Monday, May 18th. Group 3 loads are currently scheduled to experience a one minute outage at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 19th. The Biological Research Center will remain on emergency generator power until new terminations are installed on existing cable and connected to the new feed.  The Admin Services Building and Godley-Snell will experience an additional outage when this cable is terminated and ready for energization (approximately 3-4 hours later).

Group 1

• Alumni Center
• Barnes Student Center
• Barre
• Botanical Gardens
• Bracket Hall
• Byrnes Hall
• Calhoun Courts
• Calhoun Mansion
• Campbell Museum
• College Of Business
• College Of Business Construction Power
• Cooper Library
• Daniel Hall
• Douthit Hills
• Edwards Hall
• Fernow Street Café
• Fire Station
• Freeman Hall
• Hardin Hall
• Jordan Hall
• Kite Hill Recycling
• Lee Hall I,II,III
• Lehotsky Hall
• Lever Hall
• Long Hall
• Lowry Hall
• Manning Hall
• Mauldin Hall
• McAdams Hall
• Old Visitor’s Center
• Olin Hall
• Poole Ag
• President’s Home
• Redfern Health Center
• Rhodes Hall
• Rhodes Annex
• Riggs Hall
• Schilletter Hall
• Sikes Hall
• Sirrine Hall
• Smith Hall
• Strode Hall
• Strom Thurmond
• Thornhill Village
• Traffic Signals (WTC/Cherry, WTC/Sherman, WTC/Calhoun, WTC/Newman)
• Trustee House
• Vickery Hall
• Watt Family Innovation Center

Group 2

• Band Practice Facility
• Barnette Hall
• Bowen Hall
• Bradley Hall
• Canteen Hall
• Central Energy Facility
• Core Campus
• Dillard Building
• Donaldson Center
• Facilities Buildings @ Klugh Avenue
• Fike Recreation Center
• Godfrey Hall
• Harcombe Hall
• Hendrix Student Center
• Holmes Hall
• Holtzendorff Hall
• Hunter Hall
• Isotope Lab
• Johnstone Annex
• Kinard Hall
• Lower Intramural Field
• Martin Hall
• McCabe Hall
• Mell Hall
• Mikel (Stadium Suites)
• Nemotode Lab
• Newman Hall
• Norris Hall
• The Shoeboxes
• Simpson Hall
• Soccer Stadium
• Student Union
• Tennis Center
• Tillman Hall
• Traffic Signals (WTC/Williamson, Perimeter/Cherry, Cherry/McMillan, Cherry/Zeta Theta, WTC/College Ave.)
• Upper Intramural Field
• Walker Golf Maintenance
• Wannamaker Hall
• West Energy Plant

Group 3

• Admin Services Building
• Aquaculture
• Athletics Maintenance
• Baseball
• Biosystems Research Complex
• Brooks Center
• Child Development Center
• Earle Hall
• East Campus Chiller Plant
• Farmer’s Market
• Fluor Daniel
• Godley-Snell
• Harris A Smith Building
• Hinson Chiller Plant
• Hydraulics Lab
• Indoor Football
• Indoor Track
• IPTAY
• Jervey
• Life Sciences Building
• Lightsey Bridge
• Littlejohn Coliseum
• McFadden Hall
• Memorial Stadium
• Outdoor Fitness
• Penley Golf
• Raw Water Pump Station
• Reeves Football Ops
• Rowing Facility
• Soccer Practice
• Softball
• Traffic Signals (Perimeter/Ave. Of Champions, Perimeter/WTC)
• Waste Water Treatment Plant Headworks

This post previously included construction information regarding the College of Business with lane closures along Walter T. Cox Boulevard. This project has been completed two days ahead and schedule and WTC is now open.

A few construction projects happening around campus will impact traffic as students return from the winter break. In addition, newly installed gates in front of Brackett Hall will prevent vehicles from entering the core of campus via Calhoun Drive.

Perimeter Road Near the Brooks Center

The campus-wide electrical distribution upgrade continues, with Perimeter Road currently impacted by construction between Cherry Road and Brooks Center Drive. Presently the northern-most lanes along Perimeter are closed, and two-way traffic is being facilitated using the southern-most lanes between Brooks Center Drive and Cherry Rd.

Cherry Road between Bryan Circle and McMillan Road

Related underground utility construction is currently underway on Cherry Road, and with its final phase expected to end on January 8th. The project impacts the usual entrance to Bryan Circle, but a temporary detour is in place in which traffic can turn from McMillan Road onto Epsilon Zeta, accessing Bryan Circle that way.

New Gates along Calhoun Drive

To improve pedestrian safety in the core of campus, boom barriers have been installed along Calhoun Drive in front of Brackett Hall.  Employee spaces along this stretch have been converted to temporary loading spaces for deliveries.

For the most up to date information regarding construction and its impact to traffic on campus, please see our Road Work Google Map.

Thanks to Hutch-N-Son Construction, one of this summer’s major construction projects has been completed two weeks ahead of schedule: Newman Road is now open to all traffic after being expanded from two lanes to four as drivers approach the intersection with McMillan Road. Vehicles traveling along Walter T. Cox Boulevard (Hwy. 93) can now reach Perimeter Road through Newman. The expansion will ease congestion as travelers enter and exit campus. With Newman now open, the entrance to McMillan along Perimeter will now close.

McMillan Road Utility Work

McMillan Road will continue to see construction through the fall semester as upgraded infrastructure is installed underground. Crews will be working along McMillian Road from the intersection with Newman Road toward Cherry Road. Portions of McMillan Road will be opened as the work in that area is complete. Residents in Calhoun Courts and Thornhill Village should use Morrison Road to reach the apartments in the area until construction along McMillian Road passes the entrances on to Dunavan Road, Omicron Pi Street and finally, Mills Rd.

For more information on road construction at Clemson University, please see our Road Work Map.

There are many projects underway and the University is taking advantage of summer vacation for many to accomplish as much work as possible before the fall semester.

Highway 93

The underground utilities installation along Highway 93 between Sherman Road and Centennial Blvd. is complete and the highway is now fully open to traffic.  Permanent traffic lines will be painted on the roadway within the coming weeks.

Calhoun Drive Intersection Reconstruction

The intersection of Calhoun Drive and Highway 93 is being modified to improve traffic flow. A raised crosswalk similar to the pedestrian safety table on Williamson Road between Memorial Stadium and the Scroll of Honor is being developed for pedestrians who will cross Highway 93 between Sikes Hall and the new College of Business. Work is on schedule with a projected full reopening of the intersection this August.

Cherry / McMillan Intersection

Phase I of the underground utilities installation has been completed at the intersection of Cherry Road and McMillan Road. Phase II is scheduled to begin on July 22 and will require another full closure of the intersection until August 1. The third and final phase of the installation in this area will be scheduled for late 2019.

McMillan Road near Redfern

Installation of underground utilities across McMillan Road between the Redfern Health Center and Edwards Hall is expected to begin the first week of July. This work should take approximately three weeks to complete.

Newman / McMillan Intersection

Newman Road is being widened to four-lanes north of McMillan Road. Work is underway to prepare for an upcoming road closure to be announced. Once started, the intersection will be closed for approx. three to four weeks, but expected to open by August 12. Aside from brief disruptions relying on flagmen to guide travelers through the construction area, Newman Road currently remains open.

Perimeter / Lot C-1

A new traffic light with dedicated turn lanes is being established at the intersection of Perimeter Road and the commuter parking Lot C-1. This area will see one-lane traffic at times, guided by flagmen to allow drivers to travel both directions in turn.

More information

Please see the Clemson University Road Work Google Map for the most up-to-date information on current construction schedules. We also post updates regarding the latest developments to our Twitter feed. Finally, those wishing to avoid having to navigate construction using their own vehicle can take advantage of Parking Services’ Park-n-Ride service. See their summer schedule for more information.

Clemson University Facilities is working on a major electrical distribution upgrade project that will increase the reliability of the campus electrical system as well as allow future load growth for the campus.  This project is expected to take until August of 2021 to complete and will require several planned outages during the course of the project for parts of campus.  This project work began in 2012 and has greatly reduced the annual number of major unplanned outages on the campus from previous years.

Duke Energy is working to relocate the existing 44kV transmission line that feeds campus so that a new 100kV transmission line and electrical substation can be built to feed campus as part of this upgrade project.  A campus wide 4 hour electrical outage will be required to tie in this temporary transmission line.

The target time and date for this outage is 9 AM to 1 PM on Friday, December 28^th, 2018

A power outage that plunged over a dozen buildings on the east side of campus into darkness Saturday night was caused by a cable failure between Bryan Circle and Mauldin Hall.

The outage happened just before 11 p.m. Saturday as thousands of Clemson fans were leaving campus after the Tigers defeated the Duke Blue Devils in football.

The cable, located in an underground conduit, failed and caused a main breaker in the campus switch station to open for system protection. Multiple buildings, including Douthit Hills, Calhoun Courts, Thornhill Village and Lever, Byrnes, Mauldin, Barnett and Vickery halls were affected. Several traffic lights were darkened by the outage as well.

University electricians drove against the flow of game traffic to get to campus to fix the problem. After several hours, they were able to isolate the problem and restore power to most of the buildings. Mauldin Hall was without power until 5:40 p.m. Sunday because workers had to replace the section of cable that failed, according to Tony Putnam, campus Utility Services director.

“The major electrical project we commenced early this year and plan to complete over the next three years will greatly improve the university’s system reliability, automation, redundancy and fault detection capabilities and minimize the extent of this type of outage,” he said.

As part of a long-term project to restore and renovate Hunnicutt Creek in the woods between Highway 93 and the R-1 parking lot, University Facilities is using an unconventional tactic to tackle the first challenge of clearing the underbrush around the stream: Goats.

Restoring Hunnicutt Creek

Running east to west, Hunnicutt Creek crosses the Clemson campus through its wooded areas and ends at the Seneca River. With years since its last renovation, the creek bed has gradually lost sediment and a well-defined separation of the creek bed to its bank. Surrounding the creek is overgrown underbrush of varying invasive species and countless trees. These problems compound to make it a difficult task for equipment to clear the surrounding area. The goal of the restoration is to better define Hunnicutt from its bank and establish flood plains for the creek.

Bring in the Goats

Before contractors can properly estimate the work needed to restore the creek, the overgrown underbrush must first be cleared so that the soil is visible. However, due to the geography bordering the creek bed, modern equipment would be both expensive and difficult. University Facilities has decided instead to use a non-technological solution with goats.

Known for their large appetite for grass and other vegetation, the herbivores have been used in similar projects with successful results. The goats began grazing on the underbrush near the new Clemson water tower almost immediately after arrival on April 16. The six-acre area is estimated to be sufficiently cleared within one to two months.

A plan for perpetual maintenance

The restoration of Hunnicutt Creek marks the beginning of a continued effort of maintaining the stream moving forward. By using goats over costly equipment to clear the land, Facilities highlights its dedication of serving the campus, while keeping costs low.

Starting Friday, January 26th, Calhoun Drive will be closed from the intersection of Walter T. Cox Blvd. to Fort Hill Street. The closure is necessary to complete the asphalt installation along this section. To minimize the impact on traffic, the road will remain open until end of day Friday. This portion will partially reopen on Monday, January 29th, from Highway 93 to the crosswalk at Brackett Hall indicated in the visual below.  The section south of the Brackett crosswalk will remain closed to allow Utility Services to install chilled water lines.

Parking Will Be Affected

All cars parked along Calhoun Drive within this area should be moved prior to 5:00 pm on Friday, January 26th.  Access to the Sikes Hall parking lot will be blocked during this time frame.  Weather permitting, paving will begin on Saturday, January 27th and should be complete by Sunday afternoon on January 28th.  This section of roadway is expected to reopen early Monday morning January 29th.

University Facilities helps ensure that the university has a reliable supply of safe drinking water. The Anderson Regional Joint Water System (ARJWS), a regional water utility provider, serves as our primary source.  The University owns the distribution system that provides 23,000 students with water for domestic and sanitary purposes as well as fire protection.  State regulations require mid-size community systems such as Clemson’s to maintain a storage reserve of two hours of combined peak hour usage and fire protection; or one half maximum day usage, whichever is greater.  As our campus continues to grow, our need to keep pace with these regulations is driving the construction of a new water tank near Kite Hill.

History

Clemson University had its own conventional water treatment plant until February of 1989.  At that time, it began purchasing water from Duke Power Company.  Duke Power owned and operated a water treatment plant on Lake Hartwell near Anderson, SC, and provided water service to the university and other public utility systems within the region. During this time, the campus received its water through a 24-inch transmission main along US 76 from Anderson to Clemson.  In May of 2002, Duke Power sold their water supply facilities and operation to the Anderson Regional Joint Water System (ARJWS).

Today

The current Kite Hill water tank was erected in 1958. While its existing standpipe storage can contain up to 1 million gallons of water, only about 150,000 gallons is usable due to limitations intrinsic to its design.  The university has an estimated critical water need of 450,000 gallons per day with a typical daily water consumption of 1,000,000 gallons per day.  As the campus population increases, facility growth on this system will require our water storage capacity to be significantly improved by 2018.  Building a new water tank near Kite Hill encompasses planning for the replacement of both the Clemson House and Kite Hill water tanks with a single tank installation. Doing so will consolidate and increase the overall usable water storage to satisfy the main campus’ long term water storage requirements. 

Benefits to the University

Replacing the current Kite Hill water tank with a new elevated storage tank will benefit the campus in a number of ways:

1. In the event of a major water disruption such as pipe burst, the reserve water supply in the new campus elevated tank will increase from less than 8 hours to over 2 days in tandem with campus emergency conservation response planning (e.g. no outside water use).
2. The new tank will allow us to use the full 1-million gallon capacity; the old tank was limited to 150,000 gallons.
3. It would serve as the university’s long term solution to satisfy requirements for back-up pressurization and capacity for a licensed distribution system.
4.  A larger working volume tank will be an improved pressure buffer to the water transmission and pumping system operated by ARJWS
5. A single large capacity tank will allow ARJWS to pump water at lower cost off-peak times which may help control future water rates and lower peak time transmission line velocities, thereby delaying the need for future water transmission line capital improvements assessed as part of our future rate increases by ARJSW.

In addition, the water tank would serve as significant landmark for the University.

While our aim is to increase overall capacity, our intent dovetails with campus efforts to conserve water. Growth, not waste, is the impetus to this project.  With this upgrade to our supply, Clemson University will be able to support campus drinking water needs beyond 2035.