From Abbott, the steam travels through approximately 35 miles of pipes that are buried underground. Once the steam condenses and loses its heat energy, the resulting water is pumped back to Abbott. From there the process repeats itself. Steam reaches its destinations in different ways. Some tunnels are walkable, whereas other tunnels are so shallow that only the pipes can fit through them, Erickson said.
Some tunnels are simply pipes.
Marshall added that of the 35 total miles of pipes, there are only seven miles of tunnels containing pipes under campus. According to Erickson, funding for the steam is paid for by the state. Bob Hannah, interim director of Operations and Maintenance, agreed, and added that some auxiliary buildings, such as Assembly Hall and the Illini Union, pay for their own steam from money they are able to raise. Walkable tunnels that have entrances on the Quad are not a place for students to be, said Hannah. He said students have attempted to enter the tunnels in the past.