Pollution scars campus

Rose-Hulman has recently become more environmentally conscious with the rise of the idea of sustainability on campus. It has focused heavily on recycling as well as energy and water conservation; however, there are other environmental issues on campus. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has documented leaking underground storage tanks adjacent to campus. Additionally, there is a considerable amount of solid waste near Oakley Observatory, including leaking discarded engines.

During the fall quarter, the senior civil engineering students, including myself, finished a nearly complete Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) of the east side of Rose-Hulman’s campus for their Civil Engineering Codes and Regulations class. The students’ work would not be adequate in the court of law because the students are not yet qualified to complete an ESA.

After completing their study, the students found that there are three leaking underground storage tanks near campus. One of these is located at the Shell gas station just south of Skinner Residence Hall. This tank has caused medium soil and groundwater contamination. The site did go under remediation for the contamination using a method called monitored natural attenuation. This means that the site was allowed to clean naturally while it was monitored by the EPA. However, as of December 2000, there were still hydrocarbons in the soil and ethyl benzene in the groundwater. Dr. Robinson, an assistant professor in the Civil Engineering Department who focuses on environmental engineering, stated, “Although there still remains contamination on site, at least as of several years ago, the use of monitored natural attenuation for site remediation ensures that the community and the environment are protected in an economical manner.”

The other tanks are located across the road from the southeast corner of campus at the intersection of Wabash Avenue and Hunt Street and approximately 750 feet south of the southeast corner of campus near Lost Creek Elementary School.

The students were also concerned about the solid waste found near Oakley Observatory. This solid waste consists of everything from rusted out fire hydrants to the much beloved former water-wasting urinals. What was most disturbing about the site was the fact that there was a leaking engine, which could contaminate the soil.

After being shown pictures of the solid waste found on campus, junior mechanical engineering major Stephen Brannan pointed out that much of it could be reused. One of the items was a set of stairs. Brannan stated, “Give these to the Percopo kids. They’ll figure something out.” Junior civil engineering student Maritza Gonzalez stated, “Rose-Hulman is involved in enough community service off-campus that we should be able to take care of our own campus, too.”