Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 72.23
Liaison Brandon Trelstad
Submission Date Jan. 31, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Oregon State University
OP-22: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.66 / 4.00 Leticia Cavazos
Sustainability Program Specialist
Sustainability Office
"---" 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’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas:
Low to Medium

Total water use (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water use --- 267,228,984 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 243,053,624 Gallons 267,228,984 Gallons

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2016 June 30, 2017
Baseline Year July 1, 2004 June 30, 2005

A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:

2005 is the first year in which we have comprehensive data for this credit.


Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 4,866 3,253
Number of employees resident on-site 15 16
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 26,527.10 18,055
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 5,682.60 4,208.20
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 4,280.50 556
Weighted campus users 22,167.15 17,097.65

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 10,964.59 Gallons 15,629.57 Gallons

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
29.85

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 9,972,184 Gross square feet 6,839,309 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 24.37 Gallons per square foot 39.07 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
37.62

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in total water use per acre/hectare of vegetated grounds):
Yes

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 151.30 Acres 176.50 Acres

Total water use (potable + non-potable) per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water use per unit of vegetated grounds 0 Gallons per acre 1,514,045.24 Gallons per acre

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

A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives, e.g. initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices such as signage and competitions:

Some residence halls have included signage and done other programming to encourage occupants to reduce shower time, brush teeth without running water and take other small, easy steps to conserve water. A few wet labs also encourage water conservation by various means, but no formal, central campaigns recur.


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

Rainwater is collected then organically & mechanically filtered, treated, and stored at Kelley Engineering, in a 16,500 gallon chemical-free cistern system. This system is used to flush toilets and urinals rather than using potable water. OSU currently does not have any reuse activities


A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives (e.g. building retrofits):

High efficiency restroom fixtures are the campus standard. Additionally, the Sustainability Office has retrofitted hundreds of sinks with 0.5 GPM aerators.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The figure used for square footage was changed to reflect Corvallis area operations, not university totals, which have been used in the past. Water data is not gathered from each statewide operation, making the Corvallis area square footage a more relevant boundary.


The figure used for square footage was changed to reflect Corvallis area operations, not university totals, which have been used in the past. Water data is not gathered from each statewide operation, making the Corvallis area square footage a more relevant boundary.

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.