| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.87 |
| Liaison | Kevin Kirsche |
| Submission Date | June 22, 2021 |
University of Georgia
OP-21: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.52 / 5.00 |
Nate
Shear Sustainability Metrics Intern Office of Sustainability |
"---"
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:
Medium to High
Part 1. Reduction in potable water use per person
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water withdrawal | 468,645,577 Gallons | 567,654,441 Gallons |
Potable water use:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 468,645,577 Gallons | 567,654,441 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, 2006 | June 30, 2007 |
If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:
The FY2007 baseline year corresponds with Georgia's Governor's energy/water challenge.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 9,678 | 8,863 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 14 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 329 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 35,165 | 33,831 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 10,384 | 8,848 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 44 | 340 |
| Weighted campus users | 36,880.75 | 33,970 |
Potable water use per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per weighted campus user | 12,707.05 Gallons | 16,710.46 Gallons |
Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
23.96
Part 2. Reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross floor area | 17,771,146 Gross square feet | 14,157,640 Gross square feet |
Potable water use per unit of floor area:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per unit of floor area | 26.37 Gallons per square foot | 40.10 Gallons per square foot |
Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
34.23
Part 3. Reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Vegetated grounds | 24,757,407 Acres | 27,147,647 Acres |
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds | 18.93 Gallons per acre | 20.91 Gallons per acre |
Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
9.47
Optional Fields
In the severe drought of 2007-8, UGA aggressively decreased water usage through operational and behavior change initiatives. The campus adopted the mantra "Every Drop Counts" and placed stickers and signs in restrooms and in campus transit buses. The Green Cup Challenge residence hall competition measures water use per student and rewards the halls which conserve the most.
A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
Fifteen cisterns on campus collect and store over 530,000 gallons of rain and condensate for reuse in campus bulidings and landscapes, including a gray water reuse system installed in the new LEED-certified residence hall Building 1516. Over fifty rain gardens have been installed to improve storm water and watershed health at UGA.
Overall, UGA has 15 cisterns installed or under construction, totaling over 530,000 gallons storage capacity for continuous reuse of harvested rain and condensate water.
Recent projects include:
New ECV Residence Hall, Building 1516 (2010): two separate underground cisterns totaling 00,000 gallons of harvested water storage for reuse. Gray water from showers and laundry inside the building, as well as rain and condensate water are collected in separate storage tanks and treated for reuse in toilet flushing, mechanical system make-up water, and landscape irrigation.
•Georgia Museum of Art Addition (2011): 30,000 gallon underground cistern collecting rain and condensate water to irrigate new sculpture garden and surrounding landscapes.
•Special Collections Library (2011): 40,000 gallon cistern underground cistern collecting rain, condensate and ground water for reuse as irrigation of newly created green space and make up water for cooling buildings as part of the northwest precinct central chilled water infrastructure.
•Double Bridges Farm (2011): two separate above-ground cisterns totaling 54,000 gallons are being installed to harvest rain and condensate water for reuse in toilet flushing and animal waste management.
•State Botanical Gardens Maintenance Facility (2011): 10,000 gallon underground cistern collecting rain and condensate water for reuse in indoor (greenhouse) and outdoor irrigation and other site watering.
•Butts-Mehre Building Addition (2011): The UGA Athletic Association recently installed a 200,000 gallon cistern to collect rain and condensate water for reuse to irrigate the Woodruff Football practice Fields.
Other water harvesting projects installed on campus:
• Lamar Dodd School of Art (2009): 35,000 gallon below ground cistern collecting rain and condensate water for reuse in new green space / landscape irrigation.
•College of Pharmacy (2009): 15,000 gallon underground cistern collecting rain and condensate water for reuse in new green space / landscape irrigation.
•Tate Student Center (2008): 75,000 gallon underground cistern collecting rain and condensate water from Tate Expansion and Miller Learning Center for reuse in toilet flushing in Tate Expansion and irrigation of the newly created Georgia Quad green space.
•Grounds Department Maintenance Shops (2008): 10,000 gallon above-ground cistern collecting rain water for reuse in campus tree irrigation and fountain re-fill water.
•UGA Founders Garden (2007): 600 gallon above-ground cistern collecting rain water for reuse as irrigation in the historic gardens.
•Coverdell Center for Biomedical Research (2006): 40,000 gallon underground cistern collecting rain and condensate water for reuse in toilet flushing and building cooling system make-up water.
•UGA Memorial Garden (2005): 5,100 gallon underground cistern collecting rain water from the Military Science Building for reuse as irrigation in the UGA Memorial Garden.
Overall, UGA has 15 cisterns installed or under construction, totaling over 530,000 gallons storage capacity for continuous reuse of harvested rain and condensate water.
Recent projects include:
New ECV Residence Hall, Building 1516 (2010): two separate underground cisterns totaling 00,000 gallons of harvested water storage for reuse. Gray water from showers and laundry inside the building, as well as rain and condensate water are collected in separate storage tanks and treated for reuse in toilet flushing, mechanical system make-up water, and landscape irrigation.
•Georgia Museum of Art Addition (2011): 30,000 gallon underground cistern collecting rain and condensate water to irrigate new sculpture garden and surrounding landscapes.
•Special Collections Library (2011): 40,000 gallon cistern underground cistern collecting rain, condensate and ground water for reuse as irrigation of newly created green space and make up water for cooling buildings as part of the northwest precinct central chilled water infrastructure.
•Double Bridges Farm (2011): two separate above-ground cisterns totaling 54,000 gallons are being installed to harvest rain and condensate water for reuse in toilet flushing and animal waste management.
•State Botanical Gardens Maintenance Facility (2011): 10,000 gallon underground cistern collecting rain and condensate water for reuse in indoor (greenhouse) and outdoor irrigation and other site watering.
•Butts-Mehre Building Addition (2011): The UGA Athletic Association recently installed a 200,000 gallon cistern to collect rain and condensate water for reuse to irrigate the Woodruff Football practice Fields.
Other water harvesting projects installed on campus:
• Lamar Dodd School of Art (2009): 35,000 gallon below ground cistern collecting rain and condensate water for reuse in new green space / landscape irrigation.
•College of Pharmacy (2009): 15,000 gallon underground cistern collecting rain and condensate water for reuse in new green space / landscape irrigation.
•Tate Student Center (2008): 75,000 gallon underground cistern collecting rain and condensate water from Tate Expansion and Miller Learning Center for reuse in toilet flushing in Tate Expansion and irrigation of the newly created Georgia Quad green space.
•Grounds Department Maintenance Shops (2008): 10,000 gallon above-ground cistern collecting rain water for reuse in campus tree irrigation and fountain re-fill water.
•UGA Founders Garden (2007): 600 gallon above-ground cistern collecting rain water for reuse as irrigation in the historic gardens.
•Coverdell Center for Biomedical Research (2006): 40,000 gallon underground cistern collecting rain and condensate water for reuse in toilet flushing and building cooling system make-up water.
•UGA Memorial Garden (2005): 5,100 gallon underground cistern collecting rain water from the Military Science Building for reuse as irrigation in the UGA Memorial Garden.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
UGA Facilities Management Division and UGA Housing replaced most toilets and urinals on campus with ultra- or low-flow fixtures. Aerators were installed in sink faucets. All once-through cooled laboratory and mechanical equipment were replaced with recirculating units. Condensate recovery in the Central Steam system and at individual buildings conserves millions of gallons of water. Building-specific chillers and cooling towers are being replaced with more efficient centralized district energy plants.
UGA is currently studying on-site waste water treatment and reuse to offset cooling tower water use.
UGA is currently studying on-site waste water treatment and reuse to offset cooling tower water use.
Website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Tyler Alsen--Campus Energy Engineer--Facilities Management Division
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.