Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 73.13
Liaison Bridget Flynn
Submission Date March 9, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Oberlin College
OP-26: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.88 / 4.00 Bridget Flynn
Sustainability Coordinator
Office of Environmental Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Level of water risk for the institution’s main campus:
Medium to High

Total water use (potable and non-potable combined)::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water use 37,336,401 Gallons 51,286,747 Gallons

Potable water use::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 37,330,000 Gallons 51,286,747 Gallons

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users"::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of residential students 2,604 2,171
Number of residential employees 25 20
Number of in-patient hospital beds 0 0
Full-time equivalent enrollment 2,959 2,171
Full-time equivalent of employees 965 950
Full-time equivalent of distance education students 0 115

Gross floor area of building space::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 2,670,000 Square feet 2,478,289 Square feet

Area of vegetated grounds::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 514 Acres 514 Acres

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2012 June 30, 2013
Baseline Year July 1, 2004 June 30, 2005

A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
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Water recycled/reused on campus, performance year:
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Recycled/reused water withdrawn from off-campus sources, performance year:
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A brief description of any water recovery and reuse systems employed by the institution:

The Living Machine treats and internally recycles water in the Adam Joseph Lewis Center.


A brief description of any water metering and management systems employed by the institution:

Oberlin's Campus Resource Monitoring System provides real-time monitoring of water use in nineteen residence halls.


A brief description of any building retrofit practices employed by the institution, e.g. to install high efficiency plumbing fixtures and fittings:

Low-flow toilets, urinals, and shower heads have been installed in many places across campus. Additionally, efficient faucet aerators have been installed.


A brief description of any policies or programs employed by the institution to replace appliances, equipment and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
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A brief description of any water-efficient landscape design practices employed by the institution (e.g. xeriscaping):

Plants are seldom watered. Spot watering is done only as an emergency.

Native plants are featured in several prominent locations on campus.

The Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies was conceived as an integrated building-landscape system. The landscape features a variety of constructed ecosystems that simulate native Northern Ohio ecosystems and incorporate cultigens that produce food for humans. The restored wetland and forest ecosystems speak to the pre-agricultural history of the site. The George Jones Farm also includes preserved forests and restored wetlands.


A brief description of any weather-informed irrigation technologies employed by the institution:

All irrigation systems have moisture sensors that automatically adjust irrigation.


A brief description of other water conservation and efficiency strategies employed by the institution:

The Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM) research group is looking at ways to reduce shower times. Various shower timers and showerheads have been identified and will be installed for further testing to see if they are effective and which ones impacted behavior. If successful, these technologies will be spread across campus.


The website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency initiatives is available:
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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.