Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 70.33
Liaison Enid Cardinal
Submission Date March 3, 2022

STARS v2.2

Rochester Institute of Technology
OP-21: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.57 / 4.00 Enid Cardinal
Senior Sustainability Advisor to the President
Office of the President
"---" 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 to Medium

Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal 143,676,000 Gallons 190,022,000 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 143,676,000 Gallons 190,022,000 Gallons

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Period July 1, 2019 June 30, 2020
Baseline Period July 1, 2008 June 30, 2009

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 6,385 8,263
Number of employees resident on-site 10 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 13,394 12,493
Full-time equivalent of employees 3,731 3,231
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 601 219
Weighted campus users 13,991.75 13,694.50

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 10,268.62 Gallons 13,875.79 Gallons

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
26.00

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 6,031,204 Gross square feet 5,340,846 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 23.82 Gallons per square foot 35.58 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
33.04

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 207.43 Acres 207.43 Acres

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds 692,648.12 Gallons per acre 916,077.71 Gallons per acre

Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
24.39

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

Both Engineering Technology Hall and Sustainability Institute Hall collect rainwater from the roof into basement cisterns. The water is used to flush toilets in the restrooms and irrigate the landscaping outside.


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

RIT has retrofitted older fixtures with high efficiency fixtures, reduced irrigation and consolidated its cooling towers.


Website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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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.