Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 52.75
Liaison Jennifer Daniels
Submission Date May 28, 2020

STARS v2.2

California State University, Stanislaus
OP-21: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.50 / 6.00 Julia Reynoso
Director, Planning and Finance
Capital Planning & Facilities Management
"---" 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:
High

Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal 168,507,768 Gallons 217,295,488 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 16,286,952 Gallons 22,919,468 Gallons

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Period July 1, 2018 June 30, 2019
Baseline Period July 1, 2012 June 30, 2013

A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
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Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 680 603
Number of employees resident on-site 3 2
Number of other individuals resident on-site 1 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 9,462.60 7,759.40
Full-time equivalent of employees 994 774
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 163.20 14.60
Weighted campus users 7,891.80 6,540.35

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 2,063.78 Gallons 3,504.32 Gallons

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
41.11

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 1,287,415 Gross square feet 1,267,754 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 12.65 Gallons per square foot 18.08 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
30.02

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 99.12 Acres 99.12 Acres

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds 1,700,038.01 Gallons per acre 2,192,246.65 Gallons per acre

Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
22.45

A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives:
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A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
Water from the campus irrigation system and storm water run-off from all areas of campus, including surrounding city sidewalks, is captured in the main reflecting pond (holding pond) and campus lakes for re-use. To facilitate optimal use of this recovered water, and to reduce energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions, the central plant cooling towers were converted from the use of the City of Turlock's domestic water supply to this reclaimed water. A new filtration system cleans, sterilizes and softens the reclaimed water for cooling tower use, saving approximately 4 to 5 million gallons of potable drinking water per year. 100% of the cooling tower blow down is then captured and reclaimed for irrigation.

Conversion to a sophisticated, high-speed, web-based energy management system (EMS), allowing a wider range of control and higher level of efficiency from our campus Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, also allows us to control the campus reclaimed water system.

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
Installation of water meters at individual buildings, lakes, and landscaped areas to identify heavy water consumption and enable the University to pinpoint areas to address.

Installation of "Smart" irrigation clocks across campus that utilize satellite weather and moisture sensors to control irrigation cycles, and save water and electricity to run the pumps.

Retrofit of shower-heads, faucet aerators, urinals and toilets across campus to reduce water consumption.

Installation of drought tolerant vegetation in new or renovated landscape projects across campus, as well as increased use of mulch to maintain moisture in planter beds.

Website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The university's total water withdrawal includes water from the university's well and potable water from the city. Almost 90% of the water (non-potable) is used for the campus cooling towers, which are used to cool most campus buildings, and for irrigation to maintain landscaping in the hot climate of the Central Valley of California, from April to October annually.

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.