| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 52.36 |
| Liaison | Matthew Williams |
| Submission Date | Dec. 4, 2020 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Florida
OP-22: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.56 / 5.00 |
Liz
Storn Program Coordinator Office of Sustainability |
Level of ”Physical Risk QUANTITY” for the institution’s main campus as indicated by the World Resources Institute’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas:
Total water use (potable and non-potable combined):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water use | 788,750,000 Gallons | 853,924,512.10 Gallons |
Potable water use:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 788,750,000 Gallons | 853,924,512.10 Gallons |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2017 | June 30, 2018 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2004 | June 30, 2005 |
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
FY 2004-2005 was used as our baseline for previous STARS submittals.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 8,900 | 8,202 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 8 | 4 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 579 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 51,371 | 46,493 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 14,406 | 12,723.91 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 2,352 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 50,374.75 | 46,464.18 |
Potable water use per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per weighted campus user | 15,657.65 Gallons | 18,378.12 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 | 16,706,402.56 Gross square feet | 16,008,254.43 Gross square feet |
Potable water use per unit of floor area:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per unit of floor area | 47.21 Gallons per square foot | 53.34 Gallons per square foot |
Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
Does the institution wish to pursue Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in total water use per acre/hectare of vegetated grounds):
Area of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Vegetated grounds | 781 Acres | 830 Acres |
Total water use (potable + non-potable) per unit of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water use per unit of vegetated grounds | 1,009,923.18 Gallons per acre | 1,028,824.71 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:
The Department of Housing and Residence actively encourages water-related behavior changes by encouraging residents to take shorter, cooler showers. Most residence halls are outfitted with shower timers. Additional water conservation efforts are also being encouraged through reminders posted in residence halls, and through the annual Eco-Challenge inter-residence hall competition. Recommended actions include turning off water while brushing teeth or shaving and reporting leaking faucets, shower heads, and “running” toilets through iService, the online maintenance request program.
The Office of Sustainability stresses the importance of reporting all leaks to Facilities Services to all offices going through the GROW (Green Recognition for Offices and Workspaces) certification program. Finally, the Office of Sustainability actively promotes the Cupanion program which encourages students, faculty and staff to use reusable water bottles. (http://sustainable.ufl.edu/get-involved/for-students/cupanion/)
A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
At least one building on campus uses harvested rainwater for irrigation of the green roof. The majority of the runoff from that building is harvested – stored in two 1,550 gallon cisterns and used for the drip irrigation system for the roof plantings. When rainfall is scarce during the extremely dry months of the year and the stored water is depleted, irrigation water is available from the University’s reclaimed water supply. As such, this design is a model of water conservation efficiency since no potable water is utilized.
UF uses reclaimed water irrigation for 98% of its irrigation. the reclaimed water is from university's 3MGD wastewater treatment plan. Every day over 2 million gallons of effluent is generated, 1M gallons used for irrigation on campus, and the other effluent is used for FL aquifer recharge.
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):
UF is actively working to install water-efficient and safe alternatives for plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment and systems across campus as opportunities and needs arise including:
- Adding water meters to buildings that lack them
- Replacing drinking fountains with filtered bottle fillers
- Replacing porcelain(toilets, sinks, urinals) with low capacity water needed fixtures.
- Replacing fixtures with low flow, auto controlled fixtures,
- Performing a complete evaluation and repair of the campus irrigation system
- Requiring that all appliances purchased must meet energy star efficiency ratings
- Replacing water heating systems and boilers with high efficiency boiler systems.
- Tracking and repairing condensate loss that should be returned to the utility's chilled water system.
- Exploring ways to expand beneficial reuse of reclaimed water and stormwater
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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.