Overall Rating	Reporter - expired
Overall Score
Liaison	Megan Curtis-Murphy
Submission Date	May 28, 2021
Executive Letter	Download

STARS v2.1

Northeastern University
OP-22: Water Use

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	Reporter	Mark Bates Energy Analyst Facilities

"---" 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’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas:

Low to Medium

Part 1

Total water use (potable and non-potable combined):

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Total water use	649,246.53 Cubic meters	647,959.79 Cubic meters

Potable water use:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use	649,246.53 Cubic meters	647,959.79 Cubic meters

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):

	Start Date	End Date
Performance Year	Jan. 1, 2020	Dec. 31, 2020
Baseline Year	Jan. 1, 2011	Dec. 31, 2011

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:

2011 was chosen because it is the most recent year in which we could confirm vegetated area and data accuracy.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site	8,262	7,762
Number of employees resident on-site	40	30
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds	0	0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	30,434	26,573
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty)	5,060	3,648
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	4,340	0
Weighted campus users	25,441	24,613.75

Potable water use per weighted campus user:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user	25.52 Cubic meters	26.33 Cubic meters

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

3.06

Part 2

Gross floor area of building space:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Gross floor area	728,319.11 Gross square meters	632,054.51 Gross square meters

Potable water use per unit of floor area:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area	0.89 Cubic meters per square meter	1.03 Cubic meters per square meter

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

13.05

Part 3

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in total water use per acre/hectare of vegetated grounds):

Yes

Area of vegetated grounds:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds	15.14 Hectares	97.04 Hectares

Total water use (potable + non-potable) per unit of vegetated grounds:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Total water use per unit of vegetated grounds	42,873.45 Cubic meters per hectare	6,677 Cubic meters per hectare

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

Optional Fields

A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives, e.g. initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices such as signage and competitions:

The University has installed over 250 bottled water filling stations on Boston-area campuses. The effort inflates the university water consumption statistics but reduces single-use plastic bottles on campus. During spring 2021, the irrigation system is undergoing an improvement to bring all controller data into a single user interface to allow better irrigation control during rain events and generate alarms when repairs are needed to irrigation components.

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

The University has historically made groundwater recharge a part of all large construction projects on campus. The use of hardscape throughout the City of Boston has reduced water infiltration considerably and water tables have dropped as water is transported away from the city through the storm water drainage systems. In more recent construction projects the university has installed permeable pavement to reduce hardscape, bio swales with indigenous plants to reduce the flow of heavy storms, and rainwater collection systems to water athletic fields and flush toilets in a research building.

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives (e.g. building retrofits):

The University is committed to the installation of efficient toilets, urinals, faucets, and shower heads throughout campus. Automated flush and faucet valves are located throughout campus to reduce water use through excessive flushing and faucet flow.

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:

https://facilities.northeastern.edu/sustainability/management/water/

Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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