Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 73.40
Liaison Dayna Cook
Submission Date Nov. 6, 2023

STARS v2.2

Northern Arizona University
OP-21: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 6.00 / 6.00 Dayna McKay
Data Analyst
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:
Extremely High

Part 1. Reduction in potable water use per person 

Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal 158,770,100 Gallons 267,356,440 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 135,039,810 Gallons 244,797,540 Gallons

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Period July 1, 2022 June 30, 2023
Baseline Period June 1, 2005 July 30, 2006

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:
2005 was the year we have used in past reports. However, FY06 was used as the first year with reclaimed water on campus. The number was received from Utility Services tracking.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 9,685 6,053
Number of employees resident on-site 36 15
Number of other individuals resident on-site 16 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 28,093 12,523
Full-time equivalent of employees 3,247 2,202
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 4,081 4,104
Weighted campus users 22,890.50 9,482.75

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 5,899.38 Gallons 25,815.04 Gallons

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
77.15

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 7,051,851 Gross square feet 4,498,861 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 19.15 Gallons per square foot 54.41 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
64.81

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

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 405 Acres 380 Acres

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds 392,024.94 Gallons per acre 703,569.58 Gallons per acre

Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
44.28

Optional Fields 

A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives:
Every water bottle refill station has an education sign on it designed by students.

Strive for five shower campaign: educational stickers are located in every dormitory shower on campus.

A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
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A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
Most of the campus water fixtures were changed out in 2012. Low-flow toilets, shower heads, and aerators were installed and are now our campus standard. Utilities and Office of Sustainability workers have completed water audits of our leased properties in the summer of 2023, to address American Campus Community leased properties that are located on the NAU campus.

We are also in the early stages of experimenting with widespread turf grass replacement. So far, we have installed CALSENSE sensors across campus to eliminate overwatering, as these sensors measure the moisture content of the turf grass, and adjust the watering schedule accordingly. We have also replaced one of our natural turf fields with a synthetic one.

The Green Fund, in collaboration with our landscape architect, Janel Wilcox, funded a project to determine the most efficient, and environmentally safe method of turf grass removal. They are testing three different plots of grass over fiscal year 2023. One plot of grass will be smothered, the other ripped out, and the third will have a one-time chemical application of glyphosate (although this method is the least desirable).

We have also adopted the City of Flagstaff's Low Impact Development (LID)standards.

Website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.