Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 53.99
Liaison Amy Parrish
Submission Date Feb. 19, 2025

STARS v3.0

Boise State University
OP-3: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.05 / 7.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

3.1 Potable water use per person

Level of water quantity risk for the institution’s main campus:
Extremely high

Performance year for water use:
2023

Peer group:
Doctoral universities and research institutions

Potable water from off-site sources:
486,254.04 Cubic meters

Reclaimed water from off-site sources:
0 Cubic meters

Other off-site water sources:
0 Cubic meters

Potable water from on-site sources:
0 Cubic meters

Other on-site water sources:
0 Cubic meters

Full-time equivalent student enrollment:
18,136

Full-time equivalent of employees:
3,043.70

The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following four figures:

Annual potable water use:
486,254.04 Cubic meters

Full-time equivalent students and employees:
21,179.70

Annual potable water use per person:
22,958.50 Liters

Points earned for indicator OP 3.1:
1.36

3.2 Potable water use per square meter

Gross floor area of building space:
545,187.61 Square meters

The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following two figures:

Annual potable water use per unit of floor area:
891.90 Liters per square meter

Points earned for indicator OP 3.2:
1.36

3.3 Systems for water recovery and return

Does the institution harvest rainwater on-site for storage and use?:
No

Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the institution’s on-site rainwater harvesting systems:
---

Does the institution recover water on-site for reuse?:
No

Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the institution’s on-site water recovery and reuse systems:
---

Does the institution collect and return water to surface water or groundwater through on-site green infrastructure?:
Yes

Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the institution’s on-site green infrastructure:
 

Permeable Pavers

To manage rainwater on campus, we incorporate permeable pavers into new construction to allow for better infiltration of the runoff rather than having it run directly to the river that borders the campus. Permeable paving systems are porous, so they allow water to infiltrate the pavement and drain into the ground or sub-base rock underneath. The permeable pavers have open cells that are filled with gravel or grass and are designed to let water enter into their surfaces, get detained in the rock base, and absorb into the ground beneath. Paving systems that use hardscape surfaces (concrete, asphalt, or compacted gravel) will collect stormwater, causing it to pool or run off. Instead, permeable pavers have a porous surface that naturally mimics and recreates the way the ground reacts to rainwater. The rate at which the water drains into the surface depends on the specific type of permeable paving system used.

https://www.boisestate.edu/sps-environmental/experiential-learning/capstone-projects/stormwater-management-at-boise-state-university/ 


The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:

Points earned for indicator OP 3.3:
0.33

3.4 Ratio of water recovered/returned to total water withdrawal 

Does the institution have methodologies in place to estimate or model the annual volume of water recovered and/or returned on-site?:
No

Narrative outlining the methodologies used to estimate or model the annual volume of water recovered and/or returned on-site:
---

Estimated volume of rainwater harvested on-site for storage and use:
---

Estimated volume of water recovered on-site for reuse:
---

Estimated volume of water collected and returned through on-site green infrastructure:
---

The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following four figures:

Annual volume of water recovered and/or returned:
0 Cubic meters

Total water withdrawal:
486,254.04 Cubic meters

Ratio of water recovered/returned to total water withdrawal:
0

Points earned for indicator OP 3.4:
0

Optional documentation

Notes about the information provided for this credit:

Current water billing practices do not provide insight into which water meters are associated with irrigation use vs. non-irrigation use.  Additionally, considerable portions of the campus are irrigated with non-potable water sourced from the Boise River through a local canal company. This water is not billed on volume, but rather based on the amount of land & water rights held by the university. This non-potable irrigation water is not currently metered and is excluded from the reported totals. Diverted water that is not used by irrigation district shareholders is returned to the Boise River.


Additional documentation for this credit:

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.