Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 75.15
Liaison Laura Young
Submission Date March 3, 2022

STARS v2.2

Michigan State University
OP-21: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.23 / 4.00 Laura Young
Sustainability Program Coordinator
Administration-EVP-Office of Sustainability
"---" 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:
Low

Part 1. Reduction in potable water use per person 

Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal 1,281,099,000 Gallons 1,512,502,216 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 1,213,146,000 Gallons 1,420,254,980 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, 2009 June 30, 2010

If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:

A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
water use baseline was adopted for 2009-2010 consistent with the energy baselines in alignment with the development of the energy transition plan.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 15,888 15,305
Number of employees resident on-site 63 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site 256 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 45,414 45,149
Full-time equivalent of employees 11,843 11,061
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 2,191 0
Weighted campus users 45,543.25 45,983.75

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 26,637.23 Gallons 30,886.02 Gallons

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
13.76

Part 2. Reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 24,492,817 Gross square feet 22,803,227 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 49.53 Gallons per square foot 62.28 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
20.47

Part 3. Reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds 

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 2,012.96 Acres 2,000 Acres

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds 636,425.46 Gallons per acre 756,251.11 Gallons per acre

Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
15.84

Optional Fields 

A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives:
Water conservation behaviors are encouraged through the MSU Sustainability Pledge, the Spartan Green Living Certification Program and the Green Office Certification Program. MSU has installed filtered water bottle refill stations across campus, with a map of stations available at https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=c19558c380cd42f597a34502e0ed1e32. In addition, within Culinary Services, the back-of-the-house teams are educated on methods to conserve water and efficient use of equipment such as dishwashers. Additionally, the institution installed a new water system filtration plant and storage tower that improves water quality, accessibility and efficiency of delivery, reducing bottled water consumption. https://ipf.msu.edu/water-quality-updates

A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
N/A

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
As a part of the 10 year building recommissioning program, low water fixtures were incorporated wherever they could be given the architecture of the older buildings. MSU continues to look for opportunities to reduce high water use fixtures and processes. For example, MSU has continued installation and upgrades of bottle filling stations, investing about $100k per year. Funding is also allocated annually for restroom improvements, which include plumbing fixture upgrades. There is also an active project to review MSU’s facility water treatment program for optimization of cost, chemical usage, system performance, and water usage. An example project includes replacing all the 2.5 GPM showerheads at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center with new showerheads that use 1.7 GPM in 2019.

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 recent water quality reports, visit: https://ipf.msu.edu/campus-water-quality

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.