What it takes to supply a 60,000-person campus with water

On any given day, the MSU Water Treatment Plant pumps about 4 million gallons of water to ensure the 60,000 students, faculty and staff on campus can fill their water bottles, flush toilets and wash dishes. 

Water chugs through the power plant to create steam that powers the university, heats buildings in the winter and cools them in the summer. When cheering crowds flock to Spartan Stadium or fill the Breslin Center, the water plant is ready to meet the extra demand.

Each year, at least 1 billion gallons of water flow through the $21 million MSU Water Treatment Plant, which was built in 2020. That’s what it takes to keep a campus as large as a mid-size city running. Water Works Supervisor Tom Silsby and his team are there to make sure MSU’s water is safe and clean, meeting state and federal requirements.

“When you sit and think about it, it’s kind of intimidating,” Silsby said of the seriousness of his job. “My rule of thumb is I make sure the water is safe for my family to drink. If it’s Safe for your family, it should be safe for everyone else.”

Read more on water.msu.edu >