Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 46.39
Liaison Laura Draucker
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Amherst College
OP-22: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.26 / 4.00 Laura Draucker
Director of Sustainability
Office of Environmental 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:
Low to Medium

Total water use (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water use 166,169 Cubic meters 172,129 Cubic meters

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 166,169 Cubic meters 172,129 Cubic meters

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2015 June 30, 2016
Baseline Year July 1, 2013 June 30, 2014

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

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 1,759 1,785
Number of employees resident on-site 13 34
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 1,795 1,792
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 931 1,010
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted campus users 2,487.50 2,556.25

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 166,169 Cubic meters 172,129 Cubic meters

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
0.79

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 179,363 Gross square meters 176,363 Gross square meters

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 22.74 Cubic meters per square meter 23.95 Cubic meters per square meter

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
5.08

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in total water use per acre/hectare of vegetated grounds):
No

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 388.90 Hectares 388.90 Hectares

Total water use (potable + non-potable) per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water use per unit of vegetated grounds 45,678.67 Cubic meters per hectare 47,317.04 Cubic meters per hectare

Percentage reduction in total water use per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
3.46

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:
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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):

Low flow technology for showers and faucets as well as dual flush toilets are installed whenever the current fixtures need to be replaced or repaired.

Beginning in 2005 Amherst College started its conversion from standard shower heads (4 gallons/minute) to low-flow aerating shower heads (1.5 gallons/minute) in the athletic facility and in some dormitories.

The College supplies washing machines in each of the dormitory buildings throughout the campus. During the summer of 2005, all of the conventional washers were replaced with energy-saving/water-conserving front-loading washing machines.The new machines use 11 gallons less water per wash and use only 1/2 the amount of detergent while increasing the load capacity by 30%. In addition, the washers extract 33% more water from each load, thereby reducing drying time, which in turn saves energy. The new washers are estimated to save approximately 580,000 gallons of water per year throughout the campus.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

We have begun reclaiming water in the greenway dorms and with the soon to finish science center - those will be added to the next report


We have begun reclaiming water in the greenway dorms and with the soon to finish science center - those will be added to the next report

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.