Overall Rating Platinum
Overall Score 86.88
Liaison Lisa Kilgore
Submission Date March 3, 2023

STARS v2.2

Cornell University
OP-21: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00
"---" 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:
Low

Part 1. Reduction in potable water use per person 

Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal 323,595,816.67 Gallons 475,739,480 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 323,595,816.67 Gallons 475,739,480 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, 2004 June 30, 2005

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:
Start of STARS data used 2005 baseline.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 7,420 6,662
Number of employees resident on-site 37 35
Number of other individuals resident on-site 369 459
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 25,084 19,053
Full-time equivalent of employees 10,775.75 12,113
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 1,094 0
Weighted campus users 28,307.56 25,507.75

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 11,431.43 Gallons 18,650.78 Gallons

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
38.71

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 16,613,487 Gross square feet 14,346,948 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 19.48 Gallons per square foot 33.16 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
41.26

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

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 2,108.70 Acres 1,802 Acres

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds 153,457.49 Gallons per acre 264,006.37 Gallons per acre

Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
41.87

Optional Fields 

A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives:
Used non-potable water to irrigate athletic fields. Recaptured condensate return water for irrigation of landscaping on campus. Used non-potable water to irrigate plantings across campus. Continued from drought of 2016 practice changes.

A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
Grounds has an underground 1,000 gal tank that is located in the Nursery area that captures water from our irrigation system. We have a pumping station that fills our water trucks and hydro seeder for utilization back on campus. The Physical Sciences building has a grey water system that is used for irrigating their raised patio plantings situated between Physical Sciences and Rockefeller Hall.

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
Efficient shower heads installed, and low flush toilets and urinals installed throughout campus.

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:
Cornell Water System Production-(water served to the City of Ithaca + water served to the Town of Ithaca)+ (water purchased from Bolton Point).

Please note: This years reporting #'s continue to show unprecedented low use of water due to online learning and remote work on the campus.

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.