BAD BOILER POSES REAL CATCH-22 FOR UNIVERSITY

The environment is a precious thing that deserves preservation. But it seems every time the government puts its bureaucratic finger into environmental protection, things go awry. Good intentions become strangling regulations, and the costs begin to soar.

Such is the case with a three-year-old pollution-reducing, coal-burning boiler at Southeast Missouri State University. The government says high sulfur coal generates too much pollution. As such, the university examined more environmentally correct equipment in its search for a new boiler.

To that end the boiler accomplishes its goal. It does reduce pollution. But that's probably more from the fact that it runs only 30 to 40 percent of the time. The university went through the proper government channels to live within environmental guidelines. Their thanks has been a boiler operation riddled with problems, despite its hefty $4.7 million price tag.

In an effort to improve the operation of the boiler, the university has hired the boiler's designer to come to campus and provide some hands-on help.

The designer should arrive in August, and remain for about a week at a cost of more than $6,000. After all this time, we could see where the university would be ready to throw up its hands in disgust.

Even if the boiler designer can get the equipment operating smoothly, another headache awaits. The boiler uses a special type of limestone, which reduces the amount of sulfur dioxide emitted from the burning of high-sulfur coal. The university has recently learned that its supplier is shutting down the quarry.

This high-tech boiler has been a problem from the start. Installation was delayed when the project's contractor experienced financial problems. When it finally went on line in February of 1989, operations were sporadic as adjustments were continually made to meet emission standards.

Even though those adjustments have been made, the high-tech boiler has remained troublesome. There have been problems with it creating lumpy residue inside the fire boxes.

The university still depends on its standard boiler, which also burns high sulfur coal. The fluidized boiler and its limestone component grew out of requirements by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The university finds itself in a real Catch-22. At this point, the institution can't throw in the towel. There's too much invested in the boiler. But getting it to run smoothly has proved to be a seemingly endless battle.

Southeast has little choice but to bring down the designer to look at the boiler. The university also plans to hire a consultant to determine the condition of its two aging boilers to determine how long they can continue to operate.

This boiler situation shows us that good intentions are not enough. Being "environmentally correct" doesn't come without some hardships. It's a wonder the university isn't boiling mad.