Overall Rating	Silver
Overall Score	61.60
Liaison	Megan Curtis-Murphy
Submission Date	Feb. 28, 2023

STARS v2.2

Northeastern University
OP-21: Water Use

Status

Score

Responsible Party

1.53 / 4.00

Jacob Glickel
Director of Sustainability Operations
Climate Justice & Sustainability Hub

"---" 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 to Medium

Part 1. Reduction in potable water use per person

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

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal	628,445.86 Cubic meters	647,959.79 Cubic meters

Potable water use:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use	628,445.86 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 Period	Jan. 1, 2022	Dec. 31, 2022
Baseline Period	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. 2022 was chosen as the performance year over 2021, as 2022 reflects fuller use of campus facilities. Water usage is captures the density of campus life more than energy.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site	8,184	7,762
Number of employees resident on-site	33	30
Number of other individuals resident on-site	7	0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	31,817	26,573
Full-time equivalent of employees	5,489	3,648
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	3,118	0
Weighted campus users	27,702.25	24,613.75

Potable water use per weighted campus user:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user	22.69 Cubic meters	26.33 Cubic meters

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

13.82

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	680,848.09 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	0.92 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:

9.96

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

Area of vegetated grounds:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds	15.14 Hectares	13.96 Hectares

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds	41,499.86 Cubic meters per hectare	46,410 Cubic meters per hectare

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

10.58

Optional Fields

A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives:

The irrigation system made upgrades 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.

The bioswales located in the The Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex (ISEC) plaza are designed to collect, filter, and infiltrate storm water runoff from the impervious areas of the plaza and streetscape. Various indigenous and drought resistant plantings contribute to a resilient ecosystem and reduce the need for irrigation. The bioswale plant community includes trees and herbaceous plants that can withstand moisture levels ranging from flooded to dry.

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.

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

In our newest projects, we have incorporated rainwater capture for reuse on site. The Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex LEED Gold building captures rainwater for reuse in the building's toilets. In a public private partnership, Northeastern redesigned a Boston park and incorporated rainwater capture and storage to water the plantings surrounding the turf field.

Being constructed on filled land, the University has historically made groundwater recharge a part of all large construction projects on campus, with 16 buildings, cover over 190,000 SF of roof space, employing groundwater recharge systems for rainwater. 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:

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.

Website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency efforts 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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