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Planning board approves Lamont‑Doherty geothermal borehole installation for campus mechanical upgrade
Summary
The board approved a Lamont‑Doherty Earth Observatory project to install a closed‑loop geothermal system — about 63 boreholes (roughly 700 feet each) and associated piping — for the Geochemistry Building, subject to routine resubmission of requested materials.
A presenter for Lamont‑Doherty Earth Observatory described a mechanical upgrade: installation of a closed‑loop geothermal system serving the Geochemistry Building that includes 63 boreholes and associated circuit piping. The presenter said total site disturbance for the work is about a quarter of an acre and that most work is in a grassed area behind the building.
During technical questioning, the presenter explained that the boreholes are approximately 700 feet deep, are drilled as 6‑inch borings, and will be grouted in place around HDPE piping that forms the closed loops. He said the pipes are high‑density polyethylene, roughly 1.5 inches in pipe diameter per circuit, and are designed and installed to industry standards intended to protect groundwater. "It's a closed loop geothermal system... This system doesn't take anything out as far as the aquifer," the presenter said, adding that grout and manufacturer warranties are additional protections.
A board member raised whether deep drilling could affect local drinking water. The presenter responded that closed‑loop systems are designed not to extract from or inject into the aquifer, that we design and grout according to industry standards, and that the pipes are warrantied for decades. The board reviewed agency letters and voted to approve the project subject to standard documentation and resubmission of requested materials.
