Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 67.84
Liaison Noah Upchurch
Submission Date March 1, 2024

STARS v2.2

Catawba College
OP-21: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.00 / 4.00 Noah Upchurch
Senior Sustainability Specialist
Center for the Environment
"---" 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

Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal 19,392,793.83 Gallons 18,926,861.88 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 19,392,793.83 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, 2022 June 14, 2023
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 1,201 1,277
Full-time equivalent of employees 297.70 275
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 88 100
Weighted campus users 1,242.03 1,300

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 15,613.85 Gallons 14,559.12 Gallons

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
0

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 697,724 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 27.79 Gallons per square foot 27.63 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
0

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 84,250.56 Gallons per acre 82,226.35 Gallons per acre

Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
-2.46

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:

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:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

As the College gains better records of water usage from athletics events, construction projects, and bill data, the College will be able to target fixtures and behaviors to reduce water use.


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.