| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 53.57 |
| Liaison | Noah Upchurch |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2023 |
Catawba College
OP-21: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.48 / 4.00 |
Noah
Upchurch Senior Sustainability Specialist Center for the Environment |
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 | 15,780,608.46 Gallons | 18,926,861.88 Gallons |
Potable water use:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 15,780,608.46 Gallons | 18,926,861.88 Gallons |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | June 15, 2021 | June 14, 2022 |
| Baseline Period | June 15, 2019 | June 14, 2020 |
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
The baseline of an approximate Fiscal Year 2020 was adopted because it was the most recent year before which repairs were completed and a number of low-flow plumbing fixtures were installed around campus.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 688 | 796 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 16 | 16 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 8 | 8 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 1,126 | 1,277 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 251 | 275 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 175 | 100 |
| Weighted campus users | 1,085.50 | 1,300 |
Potable water use per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per weighted campus user | 14,537.64 Gallons | 14,559.12 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 | 684,909 Gross square feet | 684,909 Gross square feet |
Potable water use per unit of floor area:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per unit of floor area | 23.04 Gallons per square foot | 27.63 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 | 230.18 Acres | 230.18 Acres |
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds | 68,557.69 Gallons per acre | 82,226.35 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:
The College has been implementing low flow plumbing devices throughout campus. The College also has worked to detect and repair leaks, which were a major source of potable water loss.
A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
Catawba College has installed a 20,000 gallon geothermal runoff recovery tank, which helps to irrigate nearly 30 acres of campus' athletic fields. The College also has a 5,000 gallon rainwater recovery and storage system at the Center for the Environment Building. Unfortunately, the College does not have metering for these sites, which prevents accurate data collection on gallons recovered and reused.
Water collected from the geothermal heating system also was used to refill the 210,000-gallon swimming pool in the Abernethy Physical Education Center.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
Low-flush toilets are installed in all residence halls and many campus bathrooms have low-flow and automatic faucets.
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:
Although the College uses runoff from its geothermal energy system for irrigation and for water for our swimming pool and also has a rainwater collection system at our Center for the Environment Building, none of these facilities currently has metering. As a result, we have not been able to calculate our non-potable water use and are understating our total water use. We realize we need to install metering and are planning to do so.
Although the College uses runoff from its geothermal energy system for irrigation and for water for our swimming pool and also has a rainwater collection system at our Center for the Environment Building, none of these facilities currently has metering. As a result, we have not been able to calculate our non-potable water use and are understating our total water use. We realize we need to install metering and are planning to do so.
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.