Utilities Articles

Shining a Light on Campus Safety

The exterior lighting team, who manages over 13,000 lights and 5 intersections of traffic signals on campus, works tirelessly to improve campus safety. We sat down with Philip Erickson, who supervises the team, to talk about all the important work they are doing. 

Campus commits $55.5 million to the next phase of Big Shift

Earlier this month, the Chancellor and the Chancellor’s Committee on Campus Planning and Design, or CCCPD, endorsed moving forward with a $55.5 million investment of campus funds for the next phase of the Big Shift – a heating infrastructure overhaul that represents a crucial step in reducing the university’s fossil fuel usage. 

From Rusty to Reliable

In a recent interview, Joel McCoy, Director of Utilities Civil Infrastructure and Operations, shared insights on the campus-wide fire hydrant replacement project. The goal with the new hydrants is to improve the reliability of the campus fire protection system and protect our water resources.

Three planned projects underscore UC Davis’ sustainability leadership

From researching how to more efficiently cool buildings to adding compost bins to classroom buildings, many  units across campus perform invaluable work that allows UC Davis to continuously reach the highest levels of sustainability. Design and Construction Management, or DCM, plays its part in sustainability by facilitating large infrastructure changes in collaboration with other units in Finance, Operations and Administration, or FOA.

UV Lights Shine at the Waste Water Treatment Plant

Brad Butterfield and his team manage the UC Davis WWTP. During a recent tour, they showed the latest technology in using UV light to sanitize wastewater as it passes through the UV light system. A significant overhaul of the system updated the equipment.

Saving Cool Cash on Hot Days

UC Davis' Journey to Net-Zero

David Trombly, senior engineer supervisor with UC Davis Facilities Management and Ahmet Palazoglu, chemical engineering professor, discuss the chilled water optimization project and its cost- and energy-saving impact. Camille Kirk, sustainability planner and director of UC Davis Sustainability and Kiernan Salmon, product manager with UC Davis Facilities Management, highlight additional sustainability-related goals and projects.

Campus Teams Coordinate on Medical Sciences

This past summer, Facilities Management (FM) completed what was a year-long project that included Building Maintenance Services (BMS), Utilities, Energy & Engineering, Transportation Services construction, Design, and Construction Management (DCM), and a contractor at the Med Sci D building.

Innovation Increases Revenue for UC Davis

After UC Davis took over the Renewable Energy Anaerobic Digester (READ) Biodigester facility in 2017, staff ramped up efforts to increase usage of the facility. They started by investigating removing ammonia from the digestate (the material remaining after the anaerobic digestion of a biodegradable).