Category: Alert

AlertSU messages of timely interest to the Stanford community.

2024 Annual AlertSU Test Message

This is a test of the Stanford AlertSU system. If there were a real emergency, this message would contain information about the event and any necessary protective actions. Please participate by acknowledging this message in your email or text message. To stop a VoIP phone message press Stop then Exit. Thank you for your participation.

Stanford campus updates, exams to resume as scheduled

Power has been restored to the Stanford campus, with the exception of the Upper Row houses and houses in the faculty subdivision which operate on a separate PG&E power supply. All dining halls are available 24 hours a day, as areas of respite and for student study spaces.

In-person exams will resume as scheduled tomorrow (Wednesday, March 22). Students who remain without power should contact their instructor directly to discuss their situation.

Faculty and staff who work on campus are reminded to check road conditions prior to leaving home. Those who are unable to reach campus due to storm impacts should contact their manager or HR manager.

SLAC remains without power and separate updates will be provided directly to affected staff.

Some power restored; Services available on Stanford Campus

Power has been restored to Stanford Redwood City campus and portions of the Stanford campus. SLAC is still without power. Power supply to many areas of the Bay Area, including the Stanford campus, remains unstable. There is a possibility for further power outages and the university remains in contact with PG&E to receive updates as they are available.

For students without power:

– AFDC, Florence Moore, Wilbur, and Stern dining halls are available for meal service (dining hall hours). These buildings have heat and restrooms. Students may use the electrical outlets in these spaces to charge their devices.

– Flashlights (1 per student) have been delivered to AFDC, Wilbur, Florence Moore, and Stern. If you are without power and do not already own a flashlight, you may retrieve one there.

– Additional student-specific information can be found in the email sent today by Residential & Dining Enterprises.

Information about exams and work on campus for Wednesday, March 22, will be posted as soon as it is available, later this evening.

Power outage at Stanford, SRWC, and SLAC

A power outage is affecting many parts of the Stanford campus. One of the main PG&E transmission lines feeding the campus is reportedly impacted, causing the outage. There is currently no estimated time of restoration.

Because this outage presents a very unusual circumstance for both our students and faculty, all in-person exams have been canceled for the remainder of the day.

Staff and faculty should check with their manager to determine if they should remain on campus. Those that are leaving campus should check road conditions before departing. For everyone’s safety, avoid re-entering buildings, classrooms, or parking garages that are without power or emergency lighting.

Those working in laboratory spaces should pause work where possible, complete procedures to safely secure their experiment and lab equipment, leave the building, and notify their group’s emergency contact of their whereabouts. More guidance for those in research/lab facilities can be found at https://ehs.stanford.edu/topic/lab-safety/power-outage-prep.

A PG&E power outage is also affecting portions of the Stanford Redwood City campus, including Cardinal Hall, the Central Energy Hub, and 585 Broadway. Heating and cooling is impacted to all buildings.

Power is also affected at SLAC and guidance has been sent separately to employees working there.

Updates will be posted as they become available at https://emergency.stanford.edu.

Stanford campus power outage

A power outage is affecting the Stanford campus. Updates will be provided at https://emergency.stanford.edu.

Community Alert – Wind Event

A Stanford AlertSU community alert has been posted at https://police.stanford.edu/alert

Power Restored to Stanford Campus

Crews have identified and repaired a fault on an underground circuit. Power has been restored to all areas of the Stanford campus. Casper Dining will reopen for dinner service.

Escondido Village Studio 2 will be offline for a short time while the building system is reset.

Thank you for your patience while we worked through the outage today.

University Staff Working to Resolve Partial Power Outage

University staff is working to resolve the partial power outage on the Stanford campus. The expected time of power restoration has not been determined. The outage is within the campus power infrastructure and unrelated to PG&E.

Lagunita Lakeside Dining and Arrillaga Family Dining Commons will open at 7:00 a.m. for student respite (and morning service at 9:30 a.m.). Other dining halls will open at 10:30 a.m. as usual for morning service.

Tresidder Student Union and Graduate Community Center will be open at 7:30 a.m. for student respite.

We will continue to provide updates as soon as they are available at https://emergency.stanford.edu.

Community Alert-Power Outage

AlertSU: Power Outage affecting parts of Stanford Campus. Updates when available at https://emergency.stanford.edu/

2022 Annual AlertSU Test Message

This is a test of the Stanford AlertSU system. If there were a real emergency, this message would contain information about the event and any necessary protective actions. Please participate by acknowledging this message in your email or text message. To stop a VoIP phone message press Stop then Exit. Thank you for your participation.

Power outage affecting part of the main campus

AlertSU: A power outage is affecting a portion of the main Stanford campus this morning. Among the affected buildings are many in the athletics area; Green and Lathrop libraries; Hoover Institution; Arrillaga Alumni Center; Littlefield Center; and Bonair Siding facilities. No student residences are currently believed to be affected.

The cause of the outage is being investigated. There is no estimated time of restoration, but it is possible that it will take several hours. Employees and supervisors in affected facilities should be in touch regarding work plans for the day. Additional information will be provided on the emergency.stanford.edu website when it is available.

Power being restored to remaining main campus buildings

PG&E continues to work on the Jefferson line that supplies power to the main Stanford campus. They have also been able to supply the campus with additional energy to the line currently supplying our backup power, allowing the process of full power restoration to begin. Those on the main campus should see power returning to buildings incrementally throughout the day. As this occurs, crews are also performing building assessments to ensure that building systems return to operation as they should.

Summer Session classes will resume on Monday; students should look for information from their instructors for any updates on their course. Normal campus operations and programs will be resuming as staffing allows. Main-campus employees on Monday should resume the work routines they had in place before the power disruption. Labs may reopen once normal power is restored; please consult with your local building managers.

When returning to housing and work stations, please remember to ensure cooking and heating appliances are safely turned off, and check for any equipment that may not be functioning properly. Food in refrigerators and freezers may be spoiled – discard any perishable food. Those in research spaces should similarly check for any heating or heat-producing equipment that may have been left in the on position and survey workspaces.

We want to thank the members of our campus community for your patience over the past days, and extend special appreciation to the incredible groups of university staff who have worked tirelessly to restore power, support students living on campus and uphold research. Many members of the university staff have dedicated the past few days to working long hours with very little rest to provide support for the campus community, and their efforts are deeply appreciated.

PG&E working to repair line supplying main campus

ALERTSU: PG&E is working on repairs to its damaged equipment. We are cautiously optimistic, but cannot be certain, that full power will be restored to the main campus by this weekend. This timing could change. We hope to have more accurate information from PG&E by midday Friday.

Once PG&E does restore the power supply to the main campus, it can also take several hours to safely re-energize campus facilities. We do not expect resumption of full campus activities until Monday at earliest.

Until full power restoration, university staff will continue to maximize the use of available power to support high-priority buildings and services for students on campus.

Please continue to check emergency.stanford.edu for updates as they become available. We thank those on campus for their continuing energy conservation and patience.

Main campus power disruption continues, classes canceled, remote work encouraged

ALERTSU: Although PG&E has not provided an update to power restoration, we are preparing for the possibility that it may take days. PG&E continues to provide a limited supply of power through a secondary line, but not enough to support the normal needs of the campus, especially during hot weather. This limited supply is dedicated to supporting the highest-priority needs, including the hospital and critical infrastructure on campus. Allocation of resources for research continuity remains a priority; however, researchers should continue to refrain from performing any non-critical activities on the main campus.

Given the increasing possibility of a multiple-day disruption and the time required to re-start classrooms and equipment even once power is restored, summer session classes are canceled for Thursday and Friday, June 23-24. Conference activities are being held in alternative spaces. Bing Nursery School, Madera Grove, CCSC and Stock Farm Road childcare facilities will also be closed for the rest of the week.

The health, safety and academic pursuits of our students remains a top priority. The university is working on plans for academic continuity and continued residential care for students living on campus. More information will be forthcoming. Respite spaces with cooling and charging continue to be available to students at Arrillaga Family Dining Commons and EVGR Pavilion.

Employees who work on the main Stanford campus are encouraged to work from home for the remainder of the week, if feasible. Employees with responsibilities that require them to be on campus should report as usual. Operations at Stanford Redwood City, SLAC and the Stanford Research Park are not affected and are continuing as usual.

For those living or working on campus, we remind you to please continue to conserve power wherever possible and take steps to ensure you care for yourself – drink plenty of water, use the available areas of respite when necessary and check back regularly for updates. Thank you for your continuing patience while we work through this disruption.

Main campus power updates as of Wednesday morning

Due to yesterday’s fire in the Emerald Hills area, the main Stanford campus lost the power supplied by PG&E’s main transmission line to the campus. PG&E is providing a limited supply of power through a secondary line, but it falls far short of the normal needs of the campus. This limited supply is being used to maintain cooling for the hospital and other critical infrastructure on campus. In addition, some student residences and other buildings are operating on backup generator power. Work continues to shift the limited power supply on the main campus to the highest-priority needs.

PG&E indicates that it has identified the problem and is working on repairs, but there remains no estimated time of restoration.

Impact to campus also includes (not a complete list):

  • Cancellation of summer session classes, conferences and day camps for Wednesday, June 22.
  • Madera Grove, CCSC and Stock Farm Road childcare facilities are closed.
  • Cellular service is impacted in some areas of campus.
  • Impact to information systems are available from University IT at https://uit.stanford.edu/service-alerts/several-services-impacted-data-center-power-outage
  • The AOERC (including the Avery Rec Pool) and ACSR are closed, all main campus recreational classes are cancelled. The Redwood City Recreation and Wellness Center remains open.
  • Chilled water production is occurring, but the ability to supply it to individual buildings remains very limited due to lack of available power. Researchers should wait until further notice to perform any non-critical activities.

At this time, all underground garages are open. Use caution in areas where lighting is low.

For students living on campus, we will continue to provide meals and respite spaces today where students can access air conditioning and charge electronics.

  • Arrillaga Family Dining Commons – area of respite and dining
  • EVGR Pavilion – area of respite
  • Wilbur Dining – dining
  • Florence Moore – dining

Temperatures in the Stanford area are forecast to reach 90 plus degrees this afternoon. Tips for managing the heat include:

  • Drink plenty of water: Drink water even if you don’t feel thirsty. Avoid alcohol, caffeine or lots of sugar because they will speed up fluid loss.
  • Limit physical activity: Avoid physical activity during the hottest time of the day.
  • Stay in air-conditioned areas, whenever possible. Use the areas of respite available on campus.
  • Wear cool clothing: Lightweight, light-colored and loose-fitting clothing can help you keep cool. Cotton clothes are good because they let sweat evaporate.
  • When outdoors, wear sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat. Rest often in shady areas.

Hospital operations and the health and safety of those residing on campus remains our top priority. We continue to encourage staff who can work from home to remain off the main campus. This allows campus staff to conserve power for students living on campus, essential services, and critical infrastructure.

Classes, day camps cancelled Wednesday, June 22

There is no change to the status of the power outage on campus. PG&E has not provided an estimated time of power restoration, due to damage to their equipment located in the fire area near Emerald Hills.

Employees who work on the main Stanford campus are encouraged to work from home tomorrow, Wednesday, June 22, if feasible. Employees with responsibilities that require them to be on campus should report as usual. Operations at Stanford Redwood City, SLAC and the Stanford Research Park are not affected and should continue as usual.

Summer session classes, conferences, and day camps are cancelled for Wednesday, June 22. Madera Grove, CCSC and Stock Farm Road childcare facilities will be closed.

Arrillaga Family Dining Commons is open as a respite space for students until 3 a.m. tonight. Cold beverages, snacks and power outlets for charging electronics will be available. The EVGR Pavilion will be open as a respite space until 1 a.m. Portable light stations are being moved into several student residential areas to provide additional outdoor lighting.

Parking garages are closed until at least tomorrow morning due to dark conditions. Marguerite shuttles will be in service tomorrow.

Next update is anticipated after approximately 10:00AM Wednesday, June 22.

Update on power outage

ALERTSU: The power outage is affecting many parts of the Peninsula area and is believed to be associated with the Edgewood Fire burning in the Emerald Hills area. Cellular service is also affected in some parts of campus.

PG&E has not provided an estimated time of restoration, and those on campus should prepare for the possibility of being without power for several hours.

Flashlights are being distributed to student residences that do not have generator power, and are also available at the areas of respite (Arrillaga Family Dining Commons and EVGR Pavilion). Be aware that some parking areas and walkways may lack lighting after dark.

Any students requiring assistance after-hours should call the after-hours helpline at (650) 725-1602. If you are a visitor attending a conference on campus and require assistance, contact (650) 723-3126.

Level 4c chilled water curtailment remains in effect. Some power has been restored to cooling equipment for the hospital and other critical infrastructure.

Next update is anticipated after approximately 8:00PM

Update on Power Outage

AlertSU: Limited backup power is in use. Level 4c chilled water curtailment is in effect, and efforts to restore cooling equipment for critical infrastructure are underway. There is no ETA for restoration of power to the greater campus area. Smoke from nearby fires may be visible from campus, but there is no threat to campus at this time. See https://lbre.stanford.edu/sites/lbre-production/files/stanford_chilled_water_curtailment_guide_june21_update.docx.pdf for information about chilled water curtailment.

If the outage persists, card access doors may power down and lock automatically. Staff is currently working to re-key the main entrance to each student residence building so room or apartment keys will provide access.

Arrillaga Family Dining Commons and EVGR Pavilion are open and available for those seeking an area of respite.

Student food service is limited to Wilbur Dining, Florence Moore (Flo Mo) and Arrillaga Family Dining Commons. Service will end at 8:00PM.

Next update is anticipated at approximately 6:00PM.

Power Outage

AlertSU: A power outage is affecting many parts of the Stanford campus. One of the main PG&E transmission lines feeding the campus is reportedly down. Efforts are under way to try to transfer power to an alternate line. No ETA at this time. Prepare for chilled water curtailment. For more information and updates, go to https://emergency.stanford.edu.

2021 Annual AlertSU Test Message

This is a test of the Stanford AlertSU system. If there were a real emergency, this message would contain information about the event and any necessary protective actions. Please participate by acknowledging this message. Visit the AlertSU FAQ webpage for more information: https://police.stanford.edu/alert/alertsu-faq.html

2020 Annual AlertSU Test Message

This is a test of the Stanford AlertSU system. If there were a real emergency, this message would contain information about the event and any necessary protective actions. Please participate by acknowledging the email message. Please visit our website at https://police.stanford.edu/alert/alertsu-faq.html

Wildfire smoke: Take precautions; Dish closed

AlertSU: Wildfire smoke in Stanford area. Take precautions; Dish closed. More at emergency.stanford.edu.

Update on potential for rotating power outages

AlertSU: Rotating power outages possible in California. Please take precautions and conserve energy. More at emergency.stanford.edu.

High heat and California power grid strain

High temperatures are expected to continue this week in Northern California. The National Weather Service has an Extended Heat Warning in place for the Bay Area through at least Wednesday.

Stanford expects to have sufficient chilled water capacity for campus cooling needs during the coming week. No chilled water curtailment is expected at this time.

Over the weekend there have been rolling electricity blackouts during the evening in some areas of California, ordered by the California Independent System Operator (California ISO). While these blackouts did not affect Stanford, additional rolling blackouts in California are possible in the coming days, due to the strain placed on the power grid by the extreme heat in the Western U.S.

Please help conserve energy, especially during this period, and stay hydrated. Also take any precautions, including for research projects, in the event that a power outage occurs with little or no warning. PG&E is providing updates at https://pge.com and https://twitter.com/PGE4Me.

Fire at the Stanford DISH area – UPDATE

UPDATE – 5/01/2020 6:55 pm, the fire in the Stanford DISH area has been extinguished, fire crews will remain on scene. Road closures have been lifted.

Fire at the Stanford DISH area

ALERTSU: 5/01/2020, Fire in the center of the Stanford DISH area at 2:50 pm. First responders are on scene. Traffic will be shut down on Junipero Serra between Campus Drive East and Campus Drive West. At this time there is no threat to residents. Stay away from the area. Updates when available at https://police.stanford.edu/alert

Email issue resolved

Stanford email issues have been resolved. Incoming and outgoing emails are flowing normally.

Siginficant email delays

Stanford is currently experiencing significant delays with inbound/outbound email. There is no ETA on restoration at this time. For updates, visit uit.stanford.edu.

Gas Leak Escondido Village / McFarland – UPDATE

Gas Leak at Mcfarland Highrise and the construction site has been capped, there is no longer a hazard to the community.

Gas Leak Escondido Village / McFarland

ALERTSU: 3/11/2020, There is a gas leak in the construction area near McFarland Highrise. McFarland Highrise and the construction site is being evacuated. All streets are currently open. PG&E has been notified and will be responding. Stay away from the area. Updates when available at https://police.stanford.edu/alert or http://emergency.stanford.edu/.

Several buildings to lose power for 30 minutes at 3:30

AlertSU: Several buildings to lose power for 30 minutes at 3:30 today. See https://emergency.stanford.edu.

Power update

Technicians are working to restore power to affected buildings on the east side of the main Stanford campus.

The affected student residences, along with most of the other buildings affected by the power outage, should see power begin to be restored after 12 noon today. Power will come back online in stages.

LBRE reports that power to the Bookstore and the Barnum Center is not estimated to be restored until the end of the business day, due to the location of the fault. The Bookstore is closed during the power outage.

Vaden Health Center continues to be operating today. Updates will continue to be provided at https://emergency.stanford.edu.

Update on power on east side of campus

Technicians have identified a fault believed to be the cause of the power outage affecting some buildings on the east side of the main Stanford campus. Electricians will be working to isolate it and then begin the process of re-energizing the line. It is estimated that fully restoring power in the area could take up to 8 hours.

Some buildings in the affected area, including Stern Hall and Vaden Health Center, are operating on backup generator power. Vaden plans to be operating as usual today.

Student residences without power are Crothers and some houses in the Cowell Cluster. Students in these residences are welcome to dine at the Arrillaga Family Dining Commons, which is open and operating.

No classes are believed to be affected by the outage. Some scheduled events may be moved out of the Barnum Center today due to the outage.

Thank you to those affected for your patience with the situation. Additional updates will be posted, when available, at https://emergency.stanford.edu.

Update: Power outage on part of east campus

Crews are continuing to investigate a power outage that has affected some student residences and other buildings on the eastern side of the main Stanford campus.

The estimated time of the outage is up to 7 hours, depending upon how quickly the source of the problem is identified and resolved.

Some buildings in the affected area continue to operate on generator power.

Arrillaga Family Dining Commons will be extending its late-night hours, which normally end at 2:30 a.m., to accommodate students.

For student residences that are without power for a number of hours, the main entrance will be rekeyed to allow students to use their room key for entry when card readers cease to function. As always, please call 911 to report any suspicious circumstances.

In student residences without power, flashlights for personal use and lanterns for main lounges are being distributed. Candles and open flames should NOT be used.

Thank you, to those affected, for your patience with the situation. Updates will be provided when available at https://emergency.stanford.edu.

Power outage on part of east campus

AlertSU: Power outage on part of east campus. See https://emergency.stanford.edu for information.

Community Alert

A Stanford AlertSU community alert has been posted at https://police.stanford.edu/alert

Chilled water curtailment ending

The current Stage 1 curtailment will end this morning, Monday, Sept. 2. Campus buildings will return to chilled water service by this afternoon. We expect this will be the final notification for this curtailment event.

Stage 1 Cooling Curtailment

Due to multiple warmer than normal nights with high humidity and forecast high temperatures, Stanford is implementing Stage 1 Chilled Water Curtailment starting immediately.

Under Stage 1, cooling is reduced in many offices and other parts of the campus not involved in medical, research, data processing and other facilities. Temperatures in occupied spaces are allowed to exceed campus guidelines. A complete description of the impact and a list of affected buildings can be found in Land, Buildings & Real Estate’s chilled water curtailment guide.

Works is progressing on the temporary cooling tower for the chilled water system that cools many buildings on the main Stanford campus and we expect to have it connected and operational on Monday. The new tower expands chilled water capacity on the campus by 35 percent.

Updates will be provided through the AlertSU system.

Chilled water curtailment ending

AlertSU: Chilled water curtailment on main Stanford campus ending Monday morning. Information at https://emergency.stanford.edu.

Cooling curtailment remains at Stages 1-2

Stage 1 and Stage 2 chilled water curtailment will continue on the main Stanford campus through the weekend.

We will continue to monitor campus loads and weather forecasts. This will be the final update until Monday unless circumstances change.

Please continue to consult the Chilled Water Curtailment Guide for additional information. Updates will be provided through the AlertSU system and at https://emergency.stanford.edu.

Stage 3-4 curtailment ending

AlertSU: Stage 3-4 curtailment ending on main Stanford campus; Stage 1-2 continues. Information at https://emergency.stanford.edu

Stage 4 cooling curtailment continues

AlertSU: Main Stanford campus remaining at Stage 4 cooling curtailment. Information at https://emergency.stanford.edu.

More Information on Chilled Water Curtailment

Stanford is continuing to implement Stage 1 through 4 Chilled Water Curtailment on the main Stanford campus this morning.

Here is more information about the situation:

CONDITIONS: Warm and very humid overnight conditions resulted in very large loads being pulled through the campus cooling system. The resulting reduction in our chilled water supply, combined with high forecast temperatures and humidity that will further tax the system today, led to the multi-stage curtailment that is now in effect. High humidity is a challenging part of this week’s conditions, as opposed to the high temperatures alone that were present last week.

ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE: We are asking everyone on the main campus to help reduce the loads on the system. Turning off lights, closing blinds or covering windows exposed to direct sunlight, and turning off unnecessary equipment all help. See the curtailment guide for details, up to and including Stage 4 curtailment.

DURATION: The chilled water system is being continuously monitored, and updates are being provided to building managers every two hours. We do not have an expected duration for the curtailment. Forecasts for the next several days indicate an easing of overnight temperatures and humidity, but higher afternoon temperatures.

TEMPORARY TOWERS: After the cooling curtailment that occurred in June, new temporary cooling towers were ordered to increase the capacity of the chilled water system. These temporary towers have been scheduled to be in place by the end of August, but efforts are under way to accelerate their installation. In addition, longer-term plans are under way for increased chilled water capacity that will mitigate the need to curtail during extreme heat.

LAB SAFETY: Researchers should coordinate with building managers where needed regarding specific, localized mitigations to address impacts to research and equipment. As you do so, Environmental Health & Safety has the following reminders for those working in laboratories:

–      Wear proper PPE (personal protective equipment) and street clothes.

–      Avoid the use of fans in laboratories, as they may adversely affect exhaust ventilation.

–      PIs and supervisors must assess the conditions in their facilities to ensure safe and healthy working conditions. Check in with employees on their welfare and provide alternate work if conditions do not allow for safe lab work.

MANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES: During the cooling curtailment, managers should encourage precautionary measures and have discussions with employees about alternate work arrangements if needed due to the temperature in their location. If your manager is not available, please contact Human Resources for assistance.

Continued updates will be available through the AlertSU system and on emergency.stanford.edu.

Chilled Water Curtailment Stages 1-4 Today

Due to warm and very humid overnight conditions, forecast high temperatures and very high humidity today, and currently low chilled water thermal storage tank levels, Stanford needs to implement Stage 1 through 4 Chilled Water Curtailment starting immediately. Take immediate actions necessary to protect sensitive equipment.

Please reference the below Chilled Water Curtailment Guide for impacted buildings by stage and contact your building facilities representatives for additional support. All Stages 1 through 4 are included in this curtailment:

https://lbre.stanford.edu/sites/lbre-production/files/stanford_chilled_water_curtailment_guide_07-19-public_1.pdf

Building management in all buildings can help us to reduce chilled water load and prevent higher stages of curtailment by implementing the following measures:

  • Close window coverings on sunny exposures
  • Raise thermostat set points to 78F in office and common areas
  • Close laboratory fume hood sashes when not in use
  • Close operable windows in air conditioned buildings
  • Shut off unused office equipment
  • Turn off lights in unoccupied areas
  • Where possible, shut off lab equipment not currently being used

Updates will be sent when available and will be posted at http://emergency.stanford.edu.

Cooling curtailment ended on main campus

Cooling curtailment for all stages is now ended. Operations will return to normal over the next few hours.

Cooling curtailment easing on main campus

Cooling curtailment began easing on the main campus this morning, Friday, August 16, with cooling being restored incrementally in buildings covered under Stage 4 through 11 a.m. During that period conditions of the chilled water system will be monitored, as will actual versus predicted temperatures.

Stage 3 remains in place while cooling is restored in Stage 4 buildings. If all goes well with Stage 4 release, Stage 3 facilities will be evaluated.

Under Stage 3, temperatures in sensitive-conditioned teaching, research, or commercial operations spaces are allowed to exceed campus guidelines. A complete description of the impact and a list of affected buildings can be found in Land, Buildings & Real Estate’s chilled water curtailment guide: https://lbre.stanford.edu/sites/lbre-production/files/stanford_chilled_water_curtailment_guide_07-19-public_1.pdf

Additional capacity for the chilled water system that cools the campus is being planned in both the short and longer terms. To aid with short-term mitigation, temporary cooling towers are now being added to provide supplemental capacity. These temporary towers are expected to be in place by the end of the month. Even with these enhancements, the capacity of the system will be challenged by weather events that include temperatures in the upper 90s/100s over multiple days.

The university will be examining further ways of decreasing the load on the system in the earlier stages of a heat wave to prevent research disruption. Land, Buildings & Real Estate is forming an advisory committee of faculty members and facilities directors to assist with this effort.

Updates will be posted to emergency.stanford.edu after 11 a.m. and whenever there is further information.

Extreme heat: Curtailment update

A Stage 4 Chilled Water Curtailment is being maintained on the main campus through at least tomorrow, Friday, morning.

At Stage 4 curtailment, in addition to previous impacts already noted, temperatures in the research, data processing or communications spaces are allowed to exceed specifications and the water used to cool equipment in those spaces will be affected. The university is asking for your help in this curtailment. Please shut off all non-essential equipment to reduce load and preserve chilled water for essential needs. Researchers should coordinate with building managers if there are specific, localized mitigations they can undertake while the curtailment is in effect.

For further instructions, please see Land, Building & Real Estate’s chilled water curtailment guide: https://lbre.stanford.edu/sites/lbre-production/files/stanford_chilled_water_curtailment_guide_07-19-public_1.pdf

Extreme Heat: Continued curtailment

A Stage 4 Chilled Water Curtailment has been implemented on the main campus this afternoon.

Current temperatures are 4 degrees higher than yesterday’s record temps and about 8 degrees hotter than this morning’s forecast. We expect that temperatures will increase over the next few hours.

At Stage 4 curtailment, in addition to previous impacts already noted, temperatures in the research, data processing or communications spaces are allowed to exceed specifications and the water used to cool equipment in those spaces will be affected.

The university is asking for your help in this curtailment. Please shut off all non-essential equipment to reduce load and preserve chilled water for essential needs. Researchers should coordinate with building managers if there are specific, localized mitigations they can undertake while the curtailment is in effect.

Please see Land, Building & Real Estate’s chilled water curtailment guide for further instructions: https://lbre.stanford.edu/sites/lbre-production/files/stanford_chilled_water_curtailment_guide_07-19-public_1.pdf

The duration of the curtailment is unclear at this time. Updates will be posted to emergency.stanford.edu this evening and whenever there is further information.

During this cooling curtailment, managers should encourage precautionary measures and have discussions with employees about alternate work arrangements if needed due to the temperature in their location. If your manager is not available, please contact Human Resources for assistance.

Extreme Heat

ALERTSU: A Stage 3 Chilled Water Curtailment, affecting building cooling in more campus academic buildings and offices, is being implemented on the main Stanford campus this morning, Thursday, Aug. 15, and is expected to be in place at least through Friday morning.

Campus buildings are cooled by a chilled water system. Due to the unusually high current temperatures, along with expected high overnight temperatures, the Central Energy Facility (CEF) chilled water must be curtailed. A chilled water curtailment is required to reduce load and restore chilled water storage to normal levels.

Under Stage 3, temperatures in sensitive-conditioned teaching, research or commercial operations spaces are allowed to exceed campus guidelines. A complete description of the impact and a list of affected buildings can be found in Land, Buildings & Real Estate’s chilled water curtailment guide.

Note that the stages for curtailment are cumulative, so the buildings affected under Stage 1 and 2, which were implemented on Wednesday, remain in place. See the chilled water curtailment guide for details: https://lbre.stanford.edu/sites/lbre-production/files/stanford_chilled_water_curtailment_guide_07-19-public_1.pdf

The reduced load will help us make it through this heat wave. The duration of the curtailment is unclear at this time. Updates will be posted whenever there is further information.

During this cooling curtailment, managers should encourage precautionary measures and have discussions with employees about alternate work arrangements if needed due to the temperature in their location. If your manager is not available, please contact Human Resources for assistance.

Extreme Heat: Cooling curtailed on main campus

A Stage 1 and Stage 2 Chilled Water Curtailment, affecting building comfort cooling in many campus academic buildings and offices, is being implemented on the main Stanford campus this evening, Wednesday, August 14, that is expected to be in place at least through Thursday evening.

Campus buildings are cooled by a chilled water system. Due to the unusually high current temperatures, along with expected high overnight temperatures, the Central Energy Facility (CEF) chilled water must be curtailed. A chilled water curtailment is required to reduce load and restore chilled water storage to normal levels.

Under Stage 1, cooling is reduced in many offices and other parts of the campus not involved in medical, research, data processing and other facilities. Temperatures in occupied spaces are allowed to exceed campus guidelines. A complete description of the impact and a list of affected buildings can be found in Land, Buildings & Real Estate’s chilled water curtailment guide.

In addition, the campus will transition into a Stage 2 curtailment during that period, which will allow temperatures in teaching, research or commercial operation spaces to exceed the campus guidelines, resulting in short-term impact to teaching research and commercial operations. A complete description of the impact of Stage 2 and a list of affected buildings can also be found in the chilled water curtailment guide.

The reduced load will help us make it through this heat wave. The duration of the curtailment is unclear at this time. Updates will be posted on emergency.stanford.edu on Thursday morning and whenever there is further information.

During this cooling curtailment, managers should encourage precautionary measures and have discussions with employees about alternate work arrangements if needed due to the temperature in their location. If your manager is not available, please contact Human Resources for assistance.