Overall Rating	Gold
Overall Score	65.14
Liaison	Bremen Leak
Submission Date	July 10, 2024

STARS v2.2

Brigham Young University
OP-21: Water Use

Status

Score

Responsible Party

4.00 / 4.00

Bremen Leak
Associate Director
Sustainability & Continuity

"---" 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 Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas:

Low to Medium

Part 1. Reduction in potable water use per person

Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal	419,989,000 Gallons	863,552,000 Gallons

Potable water use:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use	419,989,000 Gallons	863,552,000 Gallons

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):

	Start Date	End Date
Performance Period	Jan. 1, 2022	Dec. 31, 2022
Baseline Period	Jan. 1, 2005	Dec. 31, 2005

If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:

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

For energy reporting, 2015 serves as a baseline, while 2005 is used as a baseline for water reporting. The longer timespan helps account for the higher water savings, which have accrued over decades through gradual and incremental water conservation efforts on campus. 2007 was the peak year for consumption.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site	7,609	5,953
Number of employees resident on-site	31	31
Number of other individuals resident on-site	3,283	3,458
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	33,912	32,811
Full-time equivalent of employees	9,139	8,674.13
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	355	0
Weighted campus users	37,215	36,067.85

Potable water use per weighted campus user:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user	11,285.48 Gallons	23,942.43 Gallons

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

52.86

Part 2. Reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area

Gross floor area of building space:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Gross floor area	11,302,182 Gross square feet	9,855,238 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area	37.16 Gallons per square foot	87.62 Gallons per square foot

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

57.59

Part 3. Reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds

Area of vegetated grounds:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds	265 Acres	292 Acres

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds	1,584,864.15 Gallons per acre	2,957,369.86 Gallons per acre

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

46.41

Optional Fields

A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives:

BYU's campus community understands that water is precious in Utah, where 95% of water comes from snowpack. A BYU-led public-private partnership called Grow the Flow aims to replenish the Great Salt Lake, which has shrunk by two-thirds since the late 1980s due to overconsumption and drought. (See Y Magazine's "When in Drought: At the Great Salt Lake and throughout the West, cracks are showing in the water plan. BYU experts have ideas on how to turn the tide.") A culture of conservation on campus has resulted, with students and staff taking steps to reduce water consumption at home and at work. Many scientific research initiatives at the university are focused on domestic and international water issues (see AC-9), while operational improvements are reducing or replacing turf in highly visible areas of campus, including the main quad between the administration building and the BYU Library. Throughout campus, the ongoing installation of new water meters continues to inform conservation efforts.

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

BYU has two stormwater detention vaults (see OP-22). Generally, non-potable water used on campus is permitted to recharge local aquifers or flow to Utah Lake via municipal storm systems, ensuring that the lake and its terminus, the Great Salt Lake, achieve healthy levels. Potable water is treated locally and reused.

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:

Indoors, BYU has installed high-efficiency plumbing fixtures and appliances and replaced water-cooled condensers with air-cooled condensers to reduce water consumption. This is true at the Missionary Training Center, adjacent to BYU campus and maintained by BYU staff.

Outdoors, BYU has installed cloud-based sprinkler systems and moisture sensors in the soil. Water audits are conducted regularly. Grass, shrubs, and flowers are treated separately with irrigation heads, including MPR rotor heads and xeri-pop heads that use the least amount of water. Drip irrigation is used for shrubs.

All valves are connected to a computer irrigation system that considers soil types, sun-orientation, wind, rain and other environmental factors, allowing plants to thrive at maximum evapotranspiration.

Website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency efforts is available:

https://sustainability.byu.edu/campus

Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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