Tour the UW Power Plant – July Session
If you’ve ever wondered about the columns of steam that rise above Montlake on the edge of the UW’s Seattle campus, you’ll love this true ‘insider’s’ tour — inside the UW power plant! Your 90-minute tour will include the central power plant, tunnels, and West Campus plant.
An identical tour will be offered on August 4. You can register for that tour at this link.
The plant you’ll see is the current version of the third UW power plant, the 1908 plant that stood in the same location on Jefferson Way. The 1908 plant was coal-fired; over time, the UW has transitioned to natural gas, and is currently embarking on a project to move the plant away from fossil fuels. Nearly eight miles of utility tunnels deliver heat to buildings all over campus in the form of steam.
You’ll wear a hard hat for at least part of the tour, and should wear comfortable, closed-toe shoes (no heels!), long pants, and layers so you can respond to the changing temperatures as you move through the tour — some areas of this working steam plant are hot.
ACCESSIBILITY NOTES: Because of the nature of this working facility, the Power Plant tour is not ADA compliant. The walk includes metal grated stairways and walkways that are sometimes uneven. Both handrails should be used at all times on stairways. Closed-toe shoes with no heels are essential. This is a working plant and may be noisy — alarms may sound with no warning. Tour attendants will use communicators and headphones and can listen and respond. The plant is hot; heavy clothes and jackets may be uncomfortable.
All UWRA events and programs are open to all eligible persons regardless of race, sex or other identity.