Overall Rating	Gold
Overall Score	72.36
Liaison	Andrew D'Amico
Submission Date	Nov. 13, 2024

STARS v2.2

Princeton University
OP-21: Water Use

Status

Score

Responsible Party

6.00 / 6.00

Sarah Boll
Executive Director
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:

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	207,648,749 Gallons	244,343,500 Gallons

Potable water use:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use	207,648,749 Gallons	244,343,500 Gallons

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

	Start Date	End Date
Performance Period	July 1, 2023	June 30, 2024
Baseline Period	July 1, 2005	June 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:

The baseline was adopted because this timeframe was prior to the inception of the University’s first Sustainability Plan (2007-2008). It is also used to maintain consistency throughout the University’s earlier STARS submissions.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site	6,767	6,111
Number of employees resident on-site	547	474
Number of other individuals resident on-site	434	0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	8,988	6,935
Full-time equivalent of employees	7,379	5,400
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	0	0
Weighted campus users	14,537.75	10,897.50

Potable water use per weighted campus user:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user	14,283.42 Gallons	22,421.98 Gallons

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

36.30

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	12,000,162.23 Gross square feet	8,158,600 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area	17.30 Gallons per square foot	29.95 Gallons per square foot

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

42.22

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

Area of vegetated grounds:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds	370 Acres	260 Acres

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds	561,212.84 Gallons per acre	939,782.69 Gallons per acre

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

40.28

Optional Fields

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

Dual-flush toilets that were installed across campus to conserve water from toilet flushing are accompanied by informational signage in the bathroom stalls to encourage proper use and raise awareness about water conservation efforts. The Andlinger Center also posted signage in its restrooms to alert occupants that water used for toilet flushing is harvested and reused from a rainwater collection system. All dining halls are also tray-free, eliminating the need to wash trays.

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

The University has installed a combined 30,000 gallons of capacity for rainwater harvesting and condensate reuse for use in toilet flushing.

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

Princeton University has taken significant steps to reduce water usage on campus by installing low-flow plumbing and athletic irrigation fixtures, high-efficiency washing machines and dishwashers, and tray-free dining in all dining halls. Water-efficient plumbing includes low-flow sink aerators, showerheads and dual-flush toilets. There are also low-flow urinals installed in the Frick Chemistry building (1/8th of a gallon per flush) and several Sloan/Falcon waterless urinals installed on campus, including in Dillon gym and Butler College. Water used for irrigation has been reduced by installing turf fields on athletic fields, and Princeton’s innovative “PowerPure” treatment system in Baker Rink saves hundreds of thousands of gallons of fresh water per year.

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

http://sustain.princeton.edu/progress/water

Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Total water usage represents water usage in additional University-owned buildings in addition to those accounted for in the reported figure for the gross floor area of building space (which only represents buildings in the CO2 footprint/main campus).

Potable water usage is assumed to equal total water usage; however, not all water is used for potable purposes. The University is currently unable to differentiate water used in buildings from water used for landscape irrigation.