K. and R. asked: “What is going on on Warren Street? Not sure what they’re fixing, but the street’s been closed for at least two days.” (That’s Robert Ripps’ cool photo above.)

That note was on February 5, and they were at it again this week, with a lot of the work going on afterhours. It took a little persistence but it is indeed ConEd working on the steam system.

“We are plating the excavation and will plan to come back to repair a leak on a steam main,” ConEd’s press officer said on Tuesday. “A steam leak is generally not dangerous. It’s just vapor, not explosive.”

I have always been fascinated by the steam system. This from Wikipedia:

Cedar & Liberty streets, 1900, Library of Congress, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The New York City steam system includes Con Edison’s Steam Operations, a piped steam system which provides steam to large parts of Manhattan. Other smaller systems provide steam to New York University and Columbia University, and many individual buildings in New York City also have their own steam systems. The steam is used to heat and cool buildings and for cleaning and disinfecting. It is the largest such system in the world and has been in operation since 1882.

The New York Steam Company began providing service in Lower Manhattan on March 3, 1882. By 1932, the company supplied steam to over 2,500 buildings from six steam plants, including its massive Kips Bay Station on the East River. It also had an agreement to obtain steam from the New York Edison Company’s Waterside and 14th Street electric power plants during periods of peak demand for steam, such as in the morning on days with cold temperatures.