| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.98 |
| Liaison | Audrey McSain |
| Submission Date | Feb. 26, 2021 |
Lehigh University
OP-21: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.53 / 4.00 |
Douglas
Spengel Associate Director Utilities and Engineering Facilities Services |
Level of ”Physical Risk Quantity” for the institution’s main campus as indicated by the World Resources Institute Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas:
Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water withdrawal | 99,074,440 Gallons | 114,339,000 Gallons |
Potable water use:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 99,074,440 Gallons | 114,339,000 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 | Jan. 1, 2007 | Dec. 30, 2007 |
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
First year of available data.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 3,422 | 4,608 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 6,422 | 7,577.33 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,819 | 1,654 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 197.99 | 234.33 |
| Weighted campus users | 6,887.76 | 7,899.75 |
Potable water use per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per weighted campus user | 14,384.14 Gallons | 14,473.75 Gallons |
Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
Gross floor area of building space:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross floor area | 4,547,569 Gross square feet | 4,171,377 Gross square feet |
Potable water use per unit of floor area:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per unit of floor area | 21.79 Gallons per square foot | 27.41 Gallons per square foot |
Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
Area of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Vegetated grounds | 126 Acres | 126 Acres |
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds | 786,305.08 Gallons per acre | 907,452.38 Gallons per acre |
Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives:
Eco-Reps work to educate their peers about water conservation and host events throughout the year including competitions to take shorter showers and to use only cold water when doing laundry. Similarly, Lehigh has a faculty-staff peer-to-peer outreach program called the Sustainable Office Program. Through this program, faculty/staff are encouraged to use water reduction signage in all/majority of their certified office spaces. The University staff established water-reduction goals this year to be implemented over the next several years.
A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
Unmetered local wells are used in lieu of potable city water for irrigation of most athletic fields. A new building scheduled to open by early 2022 will include a rain water harvesting system to reduce the potable water needed to flush toilets.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
Low-flow fixtures are used in all new construction and major renovations, and for replacing older fixtures that fail.
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:
Water use was impacted by COVID-19, therefore data from our previous STARS submission (not data from PRE-5) was used to be representative of a normal year.
Water use was impacted by COVID-19, therefore data from our previous STARS submission (not data from PRE-5) was used to be representative of a normal year.
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.