Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 49.88
Liaison Kristina Hope
Submission Date Feb. 13, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Knox College
OP-26: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Deb Steinberg
Director of Campus Sustainability Initiatives
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Level of water risk for the institution’s main campus:
Low to Medium

Total water use (potable and non-potable combined)::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water use 28,816,700 Gallons 41,563,259 Gallons

Potable water use::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 28,816,700 Gallons 41,563,259 Gallons

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users"::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of residential students 1,189 1,105
Number of residential employees 3 3
Number of in-patient hospital beds 0 0
Full-time equivalent enrollment 1,402 1,340
Full-time equivalent of employees 461 332
Full-time equivalent of distance education students 0 0

Gross floor area of building space::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 1,100,000 Square feet 1,000,000 Square feet

Area of vegetated grounds::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 30 Acres 30 Acres

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2013 June 30, 2014
Baseline Year July 1, 2006 June 30, 2007

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

2006 was the first year that water consumption data was collected, and therefore chosen as a baseline year when sustainability reporting began at Knox.


Water recycled/reused on campus, performance year:
400 Gallons

Recycled/reused water withdrawn from off-campus sources, performance year:
0 Gallons

A brief description of any water recovery and reuse systems employed by the institution:

Rain barrels at Eco House and Community Garden are used for irrigation.


A brief description of any water metering and management systems employed by the institution:

All buildings have individual water meters.


A brief description of any building retrofit practices employed by the institution, e.g. to install high efficiency plumbing fixtures and fittings:

Knox College installs low-usage toilets, low-flow shower heads, sink aerators and high-efficiency instantaneous hot water heaters. Regular maintenance on water and condensate return lines ensures minimum loss from leakage.


A brief description of any policies or programs employed by the institution to replace appliances, equipment and systems with water-efficient alternatives:

Knox College makes a practice of replacing expired appliances and equipment with water-saving alternatives whenever possible.


A brief description of any water-efficient landscape design practices employed by the institution (e.g. xeriscaping):

Grounds has a policy of using native plants recommended by the Illinois Extension that include drought tolerant grasses and trees. Grounds also mulches areas around buildings and at the base of trees to prevent water loss.


A brief description of any weather-informed irrigation technologies employed by the institution:

There are no automated irrigation systems on campus. Facilities responds with irrigation of key areas only when deemed necessary.
The Knox Farm has highly efficient drip tape-based irrigation, which delivers water directly to the roots of the crop on an as-needed basis.


A brief description of other water conservation and efficiency strategies employed by the institution:

Only 7 acres of athletic fields of the 90 acre campus are irrigated. There are two small prairie patches of native plantings in different areas of campus.


The website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency initiatives is available:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

2006-2007 was the first year that water consumption data was collected.
In 2011, the condensate return line for the boiler system was replaced, resulting in thousands of gallons of water savings.


2006-2007 was the first year that water consumption data was collected.
In 2011, the condensate return line for the boiler system was replaced, resulting in thousands of gallons of water savings.

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.