| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 81.82 |
| Liaison | Ian McKeown |
| Submission Date | March 1, 2024 |
Loyola Marymount University
OP-21: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
6.00 / 6.00 |
Lucy
Renfrow Sustainability Coordinator Facilities Management |
Level of ”Physical Risk Quantity” for the institution’s main campus as indicated by the World Resources Institute Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas:
Part 1. Reduction in potable water use per person
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water withdrawal | 341,832.48 Cubic meters | 598,240.54 Cubic meters |
Potable water use:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 170,954.47 Cubic meters | 438,018.42 Cubic meters |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | June 1, 2022 | May 31, 2023 |
| Baseline Period | June 1, 2009 | May 31, 2010 |
If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:
Water is one of the world's most precious resources, and few other places in the United States realize the importance of water conservation as much as Southern California. The region's population continues to grow while water supplies continue to dwindle. The Public Policy Institute of California last year found that California's water needs may jump as much as 40% in the next 25 years. The Department of Water Resources' own projections show California's average annual water supply will be 2.4 million acre-feet short by 2020. Another important consideration is the amount of energy consumption related to water - 20% of energy use in the state is consumed through the transporting water to farms and taps, and this doesn't include the energy consumed through irrigation and other water uses. LMU understands this dilemma and has make great strides in conserving water across the entire campus. The city of LA entered water restrictions in 2009, LMU decided to go above and beyond these water restrictions based on our environmental commitments as a university. Our reclaimed water system was actually adopted by LADWP to use as a community system. The WateReuse Association selected LMU as the 2010 WateReuse Customer of the Year. Currently, 75% of LMU’s irrigation needs are supplied by reclaimed water. LMU implemented a hydrogen peroxide treatment station in 2008 which produces odorless, clean water for use on campus landscapes.This technology has been since adapated by LADWP and used for municipal reclaimed water treatment a testament to our design! In March 2009, the WateReuse Association’s California Section selected LMU as the 2008 WateReuse Institutional Customer of the Year.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 3,660 | 3,205 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 43 | 40 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 8,512 | 7,692 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,728 | 1,898 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 8,605.75 | 8,003.75 |
Potable water use per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per weighted campus user | 19.87 Cubic meters | 54.73 Cubic meters |
Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
Part 2. Reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross floor area | 371,472.06 Gross square meters | 258,084.53 Gross square meters |
Potable water use per unit of floor area:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per unit of floor area | 0.46 Cubic meters per square meter | 1.70 Cubic meters per square meter |
Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
Part 3. Reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Vegetated grounds | 25.09 Hectares | 25.09 Hectares |
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds | 13,623.98 Cubic meters per hectare | 23,843.31 Cubic meters per hectare |
Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
Optional Fields
• Removed 210,000 square feet of turf on Field, which saved an estimated 1 million gallons of water. • Removed turf/grass and plants with heavy water requirements and replaced them with drought-tolerant plants. • Deployed rainwater/atmospheric condition sensors for landscape irrigation to reduce water usage. • Students gather condensate from HVAC equipment on the roof of the Life Sciences Building and use it to irrigate nearby plants
A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
LMU irrigates 80%+ our grounds with non-potable reclaimed water which we purchase through LADWP, a system a lmu professor help design.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
Per the university master plan here are a few of the initiatives. • Bathroom faucets -1.5 gallons per minute (private), 0.5 gallon per minute (public) •Self-closing faucets in public restrooms •Kitchenfaucets -1.5gallonsper minute •Pre-rinse kitchen spray head •Shower heads: no more than 1 shower head per stall Low-flow showerheads -2.0 gallons per minute • High efficiency clothes washers - water savings factor of 5.0or less(residential); water savings factor of7.5 orless (residential) •Highefficiency toilets -1.28 gallons per flush or less,or dualflush • High efficiency/ultra low flow urinals - 0.125 to 0.5 gallon per flush • Energy Star dishwashers • Domestic water heating system located in close proximity to point(s) of use • Tankless and on-demand water heaters • Cooling tower conductivity controllers or cooling tower pH conductivity controllers (Cooling towers to operate at minimum of 5.5 cycles of concentration) • Water-saving pool filter • Rotating sprinkler nozzles - 0.5 gallon per minute • Micro-spray nozzles • Drip/subsurface irrigation (micro-irrigation)and bubbler irrigation • Weather based irrigation controller • Hydro-zoning plantings (grouping similar water needs plants together) • Zoned irrigation • Drought-tolerant plants: 75 percent of new landscape plantings • Artificial turf (cost permitting) • Landscaping contouring to minimize precipitation runoff • Infiltration planters (i.e., notched curb to allow runoff to flow into planted areas) • Storrnwater capture an infiltration of on campus sump • Campus-wide reclaimed water irrigation (by Project buildout) • Cooling towers using 100 percent reclaimed water use, as permitted by law (by Project buildout) • New buildings designed to meet the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design® (LEED®)Certified level (or higher), or an equivalent criteria.
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:
For all new construction and renovations, LMU uses 0.125 gpf urinals, 1.28 gpf water closets and 0.5 gpm faucet aerators.
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.