Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 62.34
Liaison Christie-Joy Hartman
Submission Date Jan. 27, 2022

STARS v2.2

James Madison University
OP-21: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.00 / 5.00 Avery Smith
Sustainability Analyst
Facilities Engineering and Construction
"---" 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

Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal 206,765,035 Gallons 142,762,950 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 206,307,835 Gallons 142,762,950 Gallons

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Period July 1, 2018 June 30, 2019
Baseline Period July 1, 2008 June 30, 2009

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 6,139 5,805
Number of employees resident on-site 5 3
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 21,233 18,225
Full-time equivalent of employees 3,370 2,925
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 616 255
Weighted campus users 19,526.25 17,123.25

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 10,565.67 Gallons 8,337.37 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 7,467,030 Gross square feet 5,309,728 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 27.63 Gallons per square foot 26.89 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 410.93 Acres 397.09 Acres

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds 503,163.64 Gallons per acre 359,522.90 Gallons per acre

Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
-39.95

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:

To reduce potable water consumption, new and innovative methods of harvesting and reusing water have been identified and piloted on campus in the past few years. One major source of harvested water is Newman Lake on campus. Under the lake is an extensive pump system allowing an estimated 345,000 gallons of water to be harvested every year to irrigate the surrounding landscape. One way water is recycled on campus is through the capture of water used during required weekly fire pump tests, reducing potable water consumption by an estimated 50,000 gallons. Additionally, a rainwater harvesting cistern is located at Wayland Hall which captured 112,200 gallons of roof runoff to be reused for toilet flushing during the performance year.


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

JMU’s Policy 1701 requires that “the most water efficient appliances available must be purchased. This includes, but is not limited to, high performance fixtures such as toilets, low-flow faucets and aerators, and upgraded irrigation systems. When possible, those with the EPA WaterSense label will be selected.” One particular project with Residence Life saw over 1,600 aerators replaced with low-flow aerators which reduced potable water consumption by an estimated 1.6 million gallons per year.


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:

All data entered for the performance year is from FY 2018-2019. This year was chosen due to effects of the COVID-19 pandemic for FY 2019-2020 and FY 2020-2021. Therefore, figures used to calculate "weighted campus users" differ from those of PRE-5 which uses FY 2020-2021. Also, the figure for gross floor area of building space differs from that of PRE-4 due to the same reason.

Figures for non-potable water include the estimated 345,000 gallons of water captured from Newman Lake annually and the estimated 112,000 gallons of rainwater harvested at Wayland Hall annually.

Figures for area of vegetated grounds are derived from GIS analysis completed by Nate Rexrode (Geospatial Analyst/Programmer) on 12/7/2021.


All data entered for the performance year is from FY 2018-2019. This year was chosen due to effects of the COVID-19 pandemic for FY 2019-2020 and FY 2020-2021. Therefore, figures used to calculate "weighted campus users" differ from those of PRE-5 which uses FY 2020-2021. Also, the figure for gross floor area of building space differs from that of PRE-4 due to the same reason.

Figures for non-potable water include the estimated 345,000 gallons of water captured from Newman Lake annually and the estimated 112,000 gallons of rainwater harvested at Wayland Hall annually.

Figures for area of vegetated grounds are derived from GIS analysis completed by Nate Rexrode (Geospatial Analyst/Programmer) on 12/7/2021.

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.