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-28: Wastewater Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.00 / 1.00 Bridget Flynn
Sustainability Coordinator
Office of Environmental Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total wastewater discharged:
48,204,445.09 Gallons

Wastewater naturally handled:
56,984 Gallons

A brief description of the natural wastewater systems used to handle the institution’s wastewater:

The Living Machine at the Adam Joseph Lewis Center (AJLC) handles the waste water for that building and recycles it for use in the building as grey water. There is also a constructed wetland on site.

More on the Living Machine can be found here: http://www.oberlin.edu/newserv/stories/living_machine_release.html


The website URL where information about the institution’s wastewater management practices is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Our total water treated on-site for 2015 was 56,984 gallons. This includes all new city water plus recycled Living Machine water.

According to the Building Manager, we do not release water to local water bodies due to our permitting level. The water is treated to a tertiary level, I believe, however it gets recycled as grey water within our own system, not to a water body. Should our Living Machine ever become overwhelmed (borderline impossible due to its capacity) it discharges via an overflow to the city's sewage treatment system.


Our total water treated on-site for 2015 was 56,984 gallons. This includes all new city water plus recycled Living Machine water.

According to the Building Manager, we do not release water to local water bodies due to our permitting level. The water is treated to a tertiary level, I believe, however it gets recycled as grey water within our own system, not to a water body. Should our Living Machine ever become overwhelmed (borderline impossible due to its capacity) it discharges via an overflow to the city's sewage treatment system.

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.