Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 58.33
Liaison Michael Amadori
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Hobart and William Smith Colleges
OP-22: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.70 / 5.00 Thomas Legg
Former Grounds Manager
Building & Grounds
"---" 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’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas:
Medium to High

Total water use (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water use 36,320,962 Gallons 39,525,837 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 36,320,962 Gallons 39,525,837 Gallons

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year June 1, 2017 May 31, 2018
Baseline Year June 1, 2007 May 31, 2008

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

Past HWS President Mark Gearan signed the ACUPCC in September of 2007. Based on this, HWS established fiscal year 2007 (FY07), the year just prior to signing the commitment, as the standard baseline year for all sustainability indicators for which data is available. However, for our waste and water data we used FY 2008 due to having more complete and comprehensive data.


Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 1,782 1,738
Number of employees resident on-site 14 16
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 10 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 2,186 2,173
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 652 593
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted campus users 2,587.50 2,513

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 14,037.09 Gallons 15,728.55 Gallons

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
10.75

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 1,627,966 Gross square feet 1,446,386 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 22.31 Gallons per square foot 27.33 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
18.36

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in total water use per acre/hectare of vegetated grounds):
Yes

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 266 Acres 233 Acres

Total water use (potable + non-potable) per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water use per unit of vegetated grounds 136,544.97 Gallons per acre 169,638.79 Gallons per acre

Percentage reduction in total water use per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
19.51

A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives, e.g. initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices such as signage and competitions:
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A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:

The Colleges have installed one green roof on the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts and one on a residential hall (Comstock Hall). The pilot projects were initiated by students and the Climate Task Force as a means to help with stormwater management, reduce heat island effect, extend the lifetime of the roof system, and improve energy efficiency through increased insulation value. Rain barrels are deployed across campus and captured water has been used to water gardens and other vegetation.


A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives (e.g. building retrofits):

All major building renovations and new construction on campus utilize water efficient fixtures, including low flow toilets, faucets and showerheads. For instance, new tank style toilet installations, as well as replacements or upgrades are low flow (1.3 gallons per flush) models (approximately 170). 80% of the remaining flushometer style toilets have been upgraded to low flow valves (1.6 gallons per flush). There are approximately 300 showers on campus. Most of the existing (95%) and any new showers utilize low flow (1.5 GPM) heads. Lastly, the Finger Lakes Institute recently installed two dual flush toilets as a pilot project for campus.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.