Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 73.17
Liaison Megan Litke
Submission Date Feb. 28, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

American University
OP-22: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.98 / 5.00 Hannah Moskowitz
Sustainability Analyst
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Level of ”Physical Risk QUANTITY” for the institution’s main campus as indicated by the World Resources Institute’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas:
Medium to High

Total water use (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water use --- 124,148,668 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 97,676,004 Gallons 124,148,668 Gallons

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year May 1, 2016 April 30, 2017
Baseline Year May 1, 2005 April 30, 2006

A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:

Water use baseline was established as FY06 due to the availability of water data.


Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 3,895 3,200
Number of employees resident on-site 13 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 12,504 10,000
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 2,756 2,500
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 871 0
Weighted campus users 11,768.75 10,175

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 8,299.61 Gallons 12,201.34 Gallons

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
31.98

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 4,553,431.82 Gross square feet 3,328,064 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 21.45 Gallons per square foot 37.30 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
42.50

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in total water use per acre/hectare of vegetated grounds):
Yes

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 33.32 Acres 29.81 Acres

Total water use (potable + non-potable) per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water use per unit of vegetated grounds 0 Gallons per acre 4,164,665.15 Gallons per acre

Percentage reduction in total water use per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
---

A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives, e.g. initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices such as signage and competitions:
---

A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:

The cistern at Cassell is used for irrigation. McCabe Hall has a rain barrel made from an upcycled hot tub.


A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives (e.g. building retrofits):

The university typically retrofits plumbing fixtures and fittings during total building renovations. During renovations all fixture retrofits are specified to be low-flow. In the event that an individual fixture needs to be replaced prior to a renovation, the retrofit is always low-flow.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

2005 baseline year data = fiscal year 2006; 2005 baseline year population data = Academic year 2004-2005.


2005 baseline year data = fiscal year 2006; 2005 baseline year population data = Academic year 2004-2005.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.