Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 54.78
Liaison Christa Rieck
Submission Date Jan. 3, 2024

STARS v2.2

University of Houston
OP-21: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.33 / 4.00 Elizabeth Clark
Sustainability Coordinator
Facilities 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

Part 1. Reduction in potable water use per person 

Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal 447,280,000 Gallons 402,194,400 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 434,698,000 Gallons 391,384,400 Gallons

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Period Sept. 1, 2022 Aug. 31, 2023
Baseline Period Jan. 1, 2011 Dec. 31, 2011

If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:

A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
2011 is when the data was first accurately captured.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 6,878 5,178
Number of employees resident on-site 0 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 37,837 39,554
Full-time equivalent of employees 5,215 4,845
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 2,200 1,047
Weighted campus users 32,358.50 33,808.50

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 13,433.81 Gallons 11,576.51 Gallons

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
0

Part 2. Reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 16,740,264 Gross square feet 6,701,000 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 25.97 Gallons per square foot 58.41 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
55.54

Part 3. Reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds 

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 270 Acres 422.10 Acres

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds 1,656,592.59 Gallons per acre 952,841.51 Gallons per acre

Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
-73.86

Optional Fields 

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

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:
The large discrepancy in baseline vegetated grounds and report year vegetated grounds are due to the baseline number including building footprints. In 2018, footprints were calculated and subtracted from the total campus area to generate an accurate number of vegetated acreage.

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.