Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 68.50
Liaison Derek Nichols
Submission Date May 17, 2022

STARS v2.2

University at Buffalo
OP-21: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.51 / 4.00 Sean Brodfuehrer
Senior Architectural Planner
Campus Planning
"---" 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 281,083,000 Gallons 338,227,000 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 281,083,000 Gallons 338,227,000 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:

2009 was the year that the University released it's first Climate Action Plan. It is useful by comparing that baseline year to see the impact of our physical growth on the metrics.


Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 7,636 7,450
Number of employees resident on-site 29 220
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 26,372 25,158
Full-time equivalent of employees 6,904 8,424
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 997 0
Weighted campus users 26,125.50 27,104

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 10,758.95 Gallons 12,478.86 Gallons

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
13.78

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 11,893,423 Gross square feet 10,427,776 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 23.63 Gallons per square foot 32.44 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
27.14

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 28,516,466 Acres 28,943,296 Acres

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds 9.86 Gallons per acre 11.69 Gallons per acre

Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
15.65

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:

Retention ponds outside Davis hall provide irrigation to onsite plantings. At Greiner Hall, non-potable water from Lake Lasalle is used for irrigation.


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

It is a practice to install low flow showerheads and faucets in building retrofits as well as specify them and low flow toilets in new construction.


Website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency efforts is available:
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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.