Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 67.61
Liaison Ian Johnson
Submission Date May 4, 2023

STARS v2.2

Colorado College
OP-21: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.00 / 5.00
"---" 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:
Medium to High

Part 1. Reduction in potable water use per person 

Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal 54,222,724.99 Gallons 99,862,583.27 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 33,108,958.75 Gallons 49,859,040.58 Gallons

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Period July 1, 2021 June 30, 2022
Baseline Period July 1, 2008 June 30, 2009

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:
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Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 1,740 1,542
Number of employees resident on-site 16 25
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 2,266 1,978.50
Full-time equivalent of employees 827 626
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted campus users 2,758.75 2,345.13

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 12,001.43 Gallons 49,859,040.58 Gallons

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
43.55

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 2,363,320 Gross square feet 2,002,259.56 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 14.01 Gallons per square foot 24.90 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
43.74

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

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 38.70 Acres 35.51 Acres

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds 1,401,225.55 Gallons per acre 2,812,312.98 Gallons per acre

Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
50.18

Optional Fields 

A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives:
Colorado College has instituted specific staff training as well as the installation of sub meters on large water consuming infrastructure such as the pool, cooling structures, etc. Building automation is used to identify larger than normal fill volumes.

A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
Landscape zones are irrigated with City of Colorado Springs-supplied non-potable water, a combination of raw water from a local reservoir and treated domestic wastewater. Additionally, CC has started recovering grey water in the central heating plant to condense flu gas and recover heat.

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
In general, Colorado College has phased in efficient water fixtures as older ones have retired. Fixture retrofits have included outfitting existing faucets with low-flow faucet aerators, replacing shower heads, replacing tank and flush valve toilets with low-flow models, and upgrading urinals to current standards. In 2012, while renovating Worner Student Center and Rastall Dining Hall, the College replaced the existing dishwasher with a more efficient one and retrofitted toilets and urinals with low-flow units. Recently, the Facilities department updated the Bemis shower fixtures to be more efficient.

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:
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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.