Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 54.63
Liaison Kelly Wellman
Submission Date Jan. 23, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Texas A&M University
OP-26: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Nathan Jones
Manager, Water & Envrionmental Services
Utilities & Energy Management
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Level of water risk for the institution’s main campus:
Low

Total water use (potable and non-potable combined)::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water use 1,558,054 Gallons 3,462,000,000 Gallons

Potable water use::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 779,770,000 Gallons 1,731,000,000 Gallons

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users"::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of residential students 10,500 10,500
Number of residential employees 0 0
Number of in-patient hospital beds 0 0
Full-time equivalent enrollment 48,081 41,171
Full-time equivalent of employees 7,549 7,000
Full-time equivalent of distance education students 0 0

Gross floor area of building space::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 23,704,587 Square feet 12,526,000 Square feet

Area of vegetated grounds::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 2,800 Acres 3,500 Acres

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year Sept. 1, 2013 Aug. 31, 2014
Baseline Year Sept. 1, 1990 Aug. 31, 1991

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

The 1991 baseline has been the university benchmark due to the extremely high water usage during that period. It also represents the end of a relative flat usage tend when water conservation measures were being considered and instituted. The water use trend has been downward since even with the increase in enrollment and occupied square footage on the campus.


Water recycled/reused on campus, performance year:
---

Recycled/reused water withdrawn from off-campus sources, performance year:
---

A brief description of any water recovery and reuse systems employed by the institution:

We use between 9 and 12 million gallons of treated wastewater effluent each year for local irrigation and equipment washdown at our Main Campus Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Six buildings currently use harvested rainwater.


A brief description of any water metering and management systems employed by the institution:

Texas A&M University has a comprehensive building metering system that measures energy and water consumption for all buildings larger than 5,000 gsf.


A brief description of any building retrofit practices employed by the institution, e.g. to install high efficiency plumbing fixtures and fittings:

Since 1993 the university's policy is to install the latest water conserving fixtures in any newly constructed or renovated facility.


A brief description of any policies or programs employed by the institution to replace appliances, equipment and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
---

A brief description of any water-efficient landscape design practices employed by the institution (e.g. xeriscaping):

SSC Grounds Staff employs several formally educated, highly credentialed professionals that are well versed in the latest xeriscape methods and techniques. Specific Descriptions of our activities are found in OP-10.


A brief description of any weather-informed irrigation technologies employed by the institution:

The Texas A&M University Campus has a rich history of cutting edge landscape irrigation technology and management. In 1972, Texas A&M installed a campus-wide state of the art irrigation system. It was arguably the most technologically advanced system of any comparably sized campus in the country.

After 40 plus years of utilizing controllers that utilize mechanical technology that is now outdated; SSC Grounds Management is cooperating with industry, academia, and the A&M Foundation to restore the irrigation system to its former "State of the Art" status. Our goal is to reduce irrigation water consumption by 100 - 200 million gallons annually within the next calendar year.


A brief description of other water conservation and efficiency strategies employed by the institution:
---

The website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency initiatives is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
---

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.