U of M's Minneapolis campus loses heat as steam pipeline damaged

With temperatures falling below 30 degrees, most buildings on the University of Minnesota campus lost heat Thursday when a pipeline that delivers steam was damaged.

The pipeline, which delivers steam from the university's SE Steam Plant to the Minneapolis campus, was shut down as a precaution. A limited amount of steam was still being provided by the campus' new main energy plant, which is in a testing phase.

The U's energy management team is diverting steam to critical buildings such as the hospital and research areas. People in other buildings were expected to feel some loss of heat.

Crews are working to determine the extent of the damage.