Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 69.28
Liaison Margaret Bounds
Submission Date June 18, 2021

STARS v2.2

Connecticut College
OP-21: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.62 / 4.00 Margaret Bounds
Director of Sustainability
Office of Sustainability
"---" 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 30,402,954 Gallons 40,315,277.64 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 30,402,954 Gallons 40,315,277.64 Gallons

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Period July 1, 2019 June 30, 2020
Baseline Period July 1, 2012 June 30, 2013

A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:

FY2013 was the baseline selected for our first STARS submission in March 2018. At the time we selected a baseline year 5 years prior to the performance year and used that across credits. We are continuing to use this baseline to maintain consistency across submissions.


Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 1,245.53 2,068
Number of employees resident on-site 14 20
Number of other individuals resident on-site 7 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 1,833 2,068
Full-time equivalent of employees 682.30 737
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted campus users 2,208.36 2,625.75

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 13,767.23 Gallons 15,353.81 Gallons

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
10.33

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 1,427,164 Gross square feet 1,436,000 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 21.30 Gallons per square foot 28.07 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
24.12

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 630 Acres 630 Acres

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds 48,258.66 Gallons per acre 63,992.50 Gallons per acre

Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
24.59

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:
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A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:

In the most recent contract for residence hall washing machines, the college chose ultra-high efficiency, energy star certified washers which use approximately 11 gallons of water per load.


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:

We recognize that the data for this credit has been strongly impacted by the campus closure in mid-March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We have decided to report on FY2020 for all of our credits to maintain consistency in reporting. We have seen a decline in water use since our baseline year, but we recognize that there were 3 months of much less water use than would be typical in this fiscal year.

The number of students resident onsite for our performance year (FY2020) was modified to take into account the campus closure on March 15 due to Covid 19. A weighted average was calculated assuming we had 1,699 students onsite for 29 weeks (August 26-March 15) and 50 students onsite for 11 weeks (March 15-May 30).


We recognize that the data for this credit has been strongly impacted by the campus closure in mid-March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We have decided to report on FY2020 for all of our credits to maintain consistency in reporting. We have seen a decline in water use since our baseline year, but we recognize that there were 3 months of much less water use than would be typical in this fiscal year.

The number of students resident onsite for our performance year (FY2020) was modified to take into account the campus closure on March 15 due to Covid 19. A weighted average was calculated assuming we had 1,699 students onsite for 29 weeks (August 26-March 15) and 50 students onsite for 11 weeks (March 15-May 30).

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.