Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 58.92
Liaison Caitlin Steele
Submission Date June 8, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

San Francisco State University
OP-22: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 6.00 / 6.00 Nick Kordesch
Sustainability Coordinator
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’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas:
High

Total water use (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water use --- 130,520,852 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 74,798,759 Gallons 130,520,852 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, 2014 June 30, 2015

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

We selected fiscal year 2014-2015 because we have a reliable data set and 2016-2017 because it is the most recent data available.


Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 3,800 3,566
Number of employees resident on-site 123 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 591 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 23,415 29,718
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 4,099 3,516
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 331.96 0
Weighted campus users 21,958.28 25,817

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 3,406.40 Gallons 5,055.62 Gallons

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
32.62

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 4,307,021 Gross square feet 3,053,151 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 17.37 Gallons per square foot 42.75 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
59.38

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 45 Acres 45 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 2,900,463.38 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:

SF State's response to the California drought has included signage informing the campus community about brown lawns and changes to landscaping. The campus has also engaged in an outreach campaign around water-saving behaviors like shorter showers via social media and signage posted throughout residence halls. One initiative has been to hand out shower timers to students in residential areas to encourage shorter showers.


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

Our flagship rainwater harvesting system collects 12,000 gallons of rainwater each year from the roof of the Recycling Center and can be observed from the northeast side of our main parking garage. We are utilizing an adjacent 630 watt solar array to power a pump to irrigate over 6,000 square feet of native plants until they become established. We will then redirect the water to other new landscaping projects.The water is also used for cleaning purposes.

Our first rain garden installation collects about 60,000 gallons each year from the adjacent Corporation Yard warehouse roof which can be viewed from the northwest side of the garage, or up close from North St State or St. Drive. This rain garden was planted with native plants that are both drought tolerant, and can handle short periods of inundation of water in the winter.

The Mashouf Wellness Center has innovative water recycling features and is the campus' first greywater project. The building uses poolwater runoff to flush toilets and urinals. It uses greywater from showers and sinks to irrigate its landscaped areas. The landscape is drought tolerant, reducing demand for water. The building is surrounded by bioswales and rain gardens that absorb rainwater, utilizing it for irrigation and groundwater instead of sending it into storm drains.

New buildings are required to have plumbing for greywater systems and SF State's Campus Master Plan includes an on-site water recycling plant and a target of net-zero potable water demand.


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):

Our campus standard for all new plumbing fixtures specifies low flow toilets, faucets, showers, and other equipment. The campus has undergone water efficiency audits and retrofits on some buildings.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.