| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 53.82 |
| Liaison | Holli Fajack |
| Submission Date | Jan. 29, 2021 |
California State University, Long Beach
OP-21: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.16 / 6.00 |
Shawn
Cun Energy & Utilities Manager Beach Building Services (BBS) |
Level of ”Physical Risk Quantity” for the institution’s main campus as indicated by the World Resources Institute Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas:
Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water withdrawal | 182,260,603 Gallons | 212,490,141 Gallons |
Potable water use:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 133,350,270 Gallons | 149,736,811 Gallons |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | Jan. 1, 2019 | Dec. 31, 2019 |
| Baseline Period | Jan. 1, 2013 | Dec. 31, 2013 |
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
The baseline year of 2013 was chosen to align with the baseline used for the 2014 California State University Sustainability Policy and California Governor Jerry Brown's mandated reduction targets. In addition, 2013 is the baseline year we used in our previous (and first ever) STARS report in 2017 and feel that adhering to our original baseline will best allow us to use the STARS framework to track our progress over time from one report to the next.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 2,596 | 2,605 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 81 | 2 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 31,571 | 29,547 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 3,643.40 | 2,991 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 1,928.20 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 25,633.90 | 25,055.25 |
Potable water use per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per weighted campus user | 5,202.11 Gallons | 5,976.26 Gallons |
Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
Gross floor area of building space:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross floor area | 5,771,554 Gross square feet | 5,713,082 Gross square feet |
Potable water use per unit of floor area:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per unit of floor area | 23.10 Gallons per square foot | 26.21 Gallons per square foot |
Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
Area of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Vegetated grounds | 165 Acres | 149 Acres |
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds | 1,104,609.72 Gallons per acre | 1,426,108.33 Gallons per acre |
Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives:
In 2014, CSULB developed a comprehensive Water Action Plan which aimed to reduce water consumption on campus by 20% below the 2013 baseline by 2020. Since then, CSULB has been implementing water conservation projects as part of the campus's overall sustainability efforts. These include transitioning areas of turf to drought-tolerant landscaping, converting landscape areas to drip irrigation, use of low flow urinals and toilets, installing touch free automatic faucets with flow restrictors, installing weather based central irrigation controllers, and using reclaimed water for irrigation. In addition to these infrastructure changes, the campus has also incorporated water conservation in all aspects of sustainability communications including Earth Week and the annual Green Generation Mixer event. The campus also partners with the Long Beach Water Department to disseminate information about water conservating programs (including rebate programs), best practices, and internships with the agency.
In 2017, the Water Action Plan was updated by the Sustainability Task Force's Water Conservation Working Group (The STF has since transitioned into the President's Commission on Sustainability). The update identified opportunities for additional water efficiency measures (i.e. increase use of reclaimed in place of potable water), outlined water conservation projects accomplishments to date and emphasized the need to incorporate water resiliency into future campus development projects.
A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
CSULB has been using reclaimed water for more than twenty years. In 2019, the campus expanded its plumbing infrastructure to allow reclaimed water to be used in our Central Plant cooling towers as well as for landscape irrigation in additional areas of campus.
This project included the expansion of the East Campus reclaimed water infrastructure. The East Campus feed is an 8 inch line that provides reclaimed water supply to the Central Plant, College of Professional and International Education building, and main campus irrigation via three 20 horsepower pumps controlled by variable frequency drives (VFD).
Prior to this project the campus only received reclaimed water through its West Campus feed, which is a 6 inch line that feeds landscape irrigation for a portion of the Residential Housing buildings and some campus landscaping via three 10 horsepower pumps controlled by VFD. The campus is currently expanding its reclaimed water infrastructure to the west side of campus, including existing and new Residental Housing to be used in restrooms for toilet flushing. The campus also has future plans to expand its reclaimed water infrastructure to the south and east parts of the campus.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
In 2017, the Water Conservation Working Group spearheaded a student-led survey in partnership with Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) to determine the best low-flow showerhead to use in retrofitting showers at the Student Wellness & Recreation Center (SWRC). As part of the retrofit, the SWRC also installed a new pool cover to reduce evaporation and heat loss, saving both water and energy and reducing utility costs.
Housing on campus took advantage of Long Beach Water Department’s (LBWD) rebate program to replace more than 100 toilets with low-flow urinals and low-flow showerheads at no cost to CSULB. In addition to the upgraded plumbing fixtures in Housing and the SRWC, campus Dining also worked with LBWD to install pre-rinse spray valves and over 40 bathroom and kitchen aerators in its dining facilities, convenience stores, residential halls, and on-site franchises.
For landscaping systems, the Beach Building Services (BBS) team uses the daily reports on evapotranspiration, weather and a number of other factors from the campus weather station and online databases to reprogram the campus’ computerized irrigation systems for optimal water usage. The campus also uses rotator nozzles where appropriate to deliver water at a steady rate. This allows the water to be administered at the optimal rate for soil absorption without any runoff. In addition, a new reclaim water pump system was installed at the campus’ athletic fields to help irrigate the fields at the optimal operating pressure. Overall, this system helps with turf growth and less turf diseases because the sprinkler heads spray water the correct distance, providing full coverage across the fields.
Additionally, as a standard practice, all new landscape construction projects will entail the installation of a more state-of-the-art irrigation controller, which will allow for increased programming efficiency.
Website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.