Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 78.69
Liaison Lindsey Kalkbrenner
Submission Date Feb. 14, 2023

STARS v2.2

Santa Clara University
OP-21: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.32 / 4.00 Dave Machado
Sr. Director of Facilities Operations
University Operations
"---" 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

Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal 118,264,784 Gallons 118,598,400.80 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 68,584,868 Gallons 78,601,558.80 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 July 1, 2005 June 30, 2006

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

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 3,242 2,156
Number of employees resident on-site 35 31.20
Number of other individuals resident on-site 12 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 8,239 6,991
Full-time equivalent of employees 1,589 1,326.80
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 783 0
Weighted campus users 7,615 6,785.15

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 9,006.55 Gallons 11,584.35 Gallons

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
22.25

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 3,596,915 Gross square feet 2,135,957 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 19.07 Gallons per square foot 36.80 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
48.18

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 36.35 Acres 37.85 Acres

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds 3,253,842.31 Gallons per acre 3,133,113.77 Gallons per acre

Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
-3.85

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

SCU students, faculty, staff, and alumni can earn a “Water” Playbook Badge for completing three sustainable actions that conserve water. Example actions include: turning off the shower faucet while shampooing/soaping up; reporting leaking/dripping sinks, running toilets, or broken sprinklers to Facilities; and using a bucket to capture shower water as it heats up to water plants or wash dishes.


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

SCU uses recycled water to irrigate 80% of campus landscaping, and recycled water is used in toilets of the Learning Commons and Locatelli Student Activities Center. Signage throughout campus indicates that landscaping is watered with recycled water.


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

Residence hall laundry facilities include only front-loading washing machines, using 44 percent less water than top-loading models. Low-flow shower heads are used in 95% of residence halls. These shower heads spray 2.5 gallons per minute. SCU has retrofitted faucet aerators that reduce the GPM flow from 2.2 gpm to 1.5 gpm. Low-flow/dual-flush toilets have also been installed in most campus locations


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

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

All data is from EnergyCAP


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.