Overall Rating	Silver
Overall Score	64.03
Liaison	Katie Beitz
Submission Date	March 3, 2023

STARS v2.2

Oklahoma State University
OP-21: Water Use

Status

Score

Responsible Party

2.75 / 4.00

Kristeena Blaser
Sustainability Coordinator
Energy Services

"---" 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

Part 1. Reduction in potable water use per person

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

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal	339,115,580.94 Gallons	419,010,000 Gallons

Potable water use:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use	339,115,580.94 Gallons	419,010,000 Gallons

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

	Start Date	End Date
Performance Period	July 1, 2021	June 30, 2022
Baseline Period	Jan. 1, 2005	Dec. 31, 2005

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:

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Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site	6,233	7,066
Number of employees resident on-site	116	411
Number of other individuals resident on-site	260	0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	21,672.52	21,235
Full-time equivalent of employees	4,900	4,677
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	1,845	247
Weighted campus users	20,392.89	21,118

Potable water use per weighted campus user:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user	16,629.11 Gallons	19,841.37 Gallons

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

16.19

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	11,452,883.80 Gross square feet	10,357,207 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area	29.61 Gallons per square foot	40.46 Gallons per square foot

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

26.81

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

Area of vegetated grounds:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds	699 Acres	700 Acres

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds	485,143.89 Gallons per acre	598,585.71 Gallons per acre

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

18.95

Optional Fields

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

OSU's Housing & Residential Life staff often host events for the resident halls that help educate students on sustainable practices such as shorter showers, turning off faucets while brushing teeth, stress the importance of reporting water leaks. OSU staff are encouraged to purchase water-saving equipment and Cooperative Extension offers a variety of fact sheets about water conservation.

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

Two large barrels are stationed in the Mother's Garden in front of the Rancher's Club at the Student Union to collect rainwater for use in that garden. OSU has irrigation controllers on a centrally controlled system with a weather station that reads rainfall, wind speed, and evapotranspiration. Irrigation frequency and timing correlate with these calibrations to irrigate at the most efficient settings. Rain sensors are also used on about 85% of the controllers to shut off irrigation if rainfall reaches 1/8 of an inch. These systems continue to be monitored on a regular basis.

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:

Landscape Services team members are equipped with soil probes to monitor watering needs frequently. Outfitting and training the staff ensures control of overwatering and leak detections. Efficient drip irrigation is used in all newly landscaped and renovated garden spaces. Furthermore, Energy Star appliances are preferred throughout campus and building retrofits include the installation of high-efficiency plumbing fixtures and fittings such as low-flow flush valves, sink and shower aerators. OSU is an EPA Energy Star Partner recognized for using ENERGY STAR resources to reduce energy and water waste.

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

https://fm.okstate.edu/about-us/landscape/irrigation_standards.html

Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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