| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 83.87 |
| Liaison | Yolanda Cieters |
| Submission Date | March 1, 2024 |
Seattle University
OP-21: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.13 / 4.00 |
Yolanda
Cieters Associate Director CEJS |
Level of ”Physical Risk Quantity” for the institution’s main campus as indicated by the World Resources Institute Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas:
Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water withdrawal | 31,354,597.50 Gallons | 37,496,103.90 Gallons |
Potable water use:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 31,354,597.50 Gallons | 37,496,103.90 Gallons |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | July 1, 2022 | June 30, 2023 |
| Baseline Period | July 1, 2018 | June 30, 2019 |
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
Most recent sample size from pre-COVID occupancy that also follows today's methodology.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 1,719 | 1,846 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 35 | 42 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 6,744 | 6,937 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,358 | 1,328 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 192.60 | 54 |
| Weighted campus users | 6,370.55 | 6,630.25 |
Potable water use per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per weighted campus user | 4,921.80 Gallons | 5,655.31 Gallons |
Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
Gross floor area of building space:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross floor area | 2,210,938 Gross square feet | 2,151,355 Gross square feet |
Potable water use per unit of floor area:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per unit of floor area | 14.18 Gallons per square foot | 17.43 Gallons per square foot |
Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
Area of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Vegetated grounds | 20 Acres | 20 Acres |
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds | 1,567,729.88 Gallons per acre | 1,874,805.19 Gallons per acre |
Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives:
A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
A cistern captures the rainwater off the Advancement & Alumni building and this water is used to irrigate the landscape.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
We utilize aerators in all public bathrooms on campus that are limited to 0.5 GPM.
Seattle University has a Resource Management Plan that codifies water conservation practices in our facilities for both building and irrigation water: https://www.seattleu.edu/media/facilities-services/UPDATED_Seattle-University-Resource-Management-Plan-2.pdf
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:
--Performance year for this credit: FY23. Baseline year for this credit: FY19
--The footprint of SU's buildings, impervious surfaces, and areas that are not regularly managed or maintained accounts for 17 acres.
Total area of managed grounds = 33 acres: 20 acres vegetated grounds; 13 acres paved.
--Note that the gross floor area of building space (performance year and baseline year) in OP21 is different from PRE-4.
The PRE-4 credit GSF is SU's institutional boundary GSF whereas in OP21 we report on SU's operational boundary (for both the performance and baseline year), that is, we exclude leased buildings from our count because we do not receive any utilities-related data for those buildings nor do we control changes or improvements related to the building’s utilities.
o SU’s Institutional boundary in performance year 2023 is 2,310,148. (= 2,296,459 owned + 13,689 for one leased building (YOBI building)
o SU’s Operational boundary in performance year 2023 is 2,210,938. (buildings where SU has ownership/control of maintenance/building operations).
This is also the case for Baseline year FY19:
o SU’s Institutional boundary in baseline year 2023 is 2,396,448
o SU’s Operational boundary in baseline year 2019 is 2,151,355. (buildings where SU has ownership/control of maintenance/building operations).
--Note that for student residents, we adjusted our numbers for the performance year and baseline year: the number of students resident on-site in FY23 was 2,283.0. But because the water data we report on in this credit OP21 only pertains to buildings that we own and manage (operational boundary; excluding any leased buildings), we subtracted 564 students from the total number of student residents; that is the combined capacity of the three residence halls that SU leases (Douglas, Vi Hilbert, and Yobi) and for which we do not report any waste data in this credit OP21.
We did the same for baseline year FY19: the number of students resident on-site in FY19 was 2,448.0. We subtracted 602 students from the total number of student residents; that is the combined capacity of the three residence halls that SU leases (Douglas, Vi Hilbert, and Yobi) and for which we do not report any waste data in this credit OP21.
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.