Overall Rating	Silver
Overall Score	56.22
Liaison	Olivia Wiebe
Submission Date	Jan. 28, 2022

STARS v2.2

University of Idaho
OP-21: Water Use

Status

Score

Responsible Party

4.00 / 4.00

Olivia Wiebe
Sustainability Manager
Office of the President

"---" 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	220,458,828 Gallons	316,433,658 Gallons

Potable water use:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use	127,271,412 Gallons	234,628,186 Gallons

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):

	Start Date	End Date
Performance Period	Jan. 1, 2021	Dec. 31, 2021
Baseline Period	Jan. 1, 2005	Dec. 31, 2005

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:

The water use baseline, 2005, was adopted as part of the University of Idaho's submission to the American College and University Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) and the university's Climate Action Plan published in 2010.

The 2005 Energy Policy Act established conservation goals and objectives for energy and water. UI has been monitoring and actively participating in water conservation since 1955. In 1979, a water reclamation program was initiated with the aim of reducing university dependence on the Palouse Basin Aquifer. UI and the Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee are seeking alternative water sources and preserving local water resources for future generations.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site	3,161	3,433
Number of employees resident on-site	16	0
Number of other individuals resident on-site	0	250
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	8,811.86	8,921.40
Full-time equivalent of employees	2,301.71	1,883
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	453	0
Weighted campus users	8,789.68	9,211.55

Potable water use per weighted campus user:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user	14,479.65 Gallons	25,471.09 Gallons

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

43.15

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	4,394,680 Gross square feet	4,135,214 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area	28.96 Gallons per square foot	56.74 Gallons per square foot

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

48.96

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

Area of vegetated grounds:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds	468.87 Acres	468.87 Acres

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds	470,191.80 Gallons per acre	674,885.70 Gallons per acre

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

30.33

Optional Fields

A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives:

Sample of water awareness and behavioral initiatives:

The University of Idaho has been active member of the Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee (PBAC) since 1976. This multi-jurisdictional committee was established "to ensure a long-term, quality water supply for the Palouse Basin region".

Water-related behavior change initiatives hosted by the Sustainability Center and many partners:

-There is an ongoing effort to install water bottle refill stations in new buildings, remodels, and many retrofits have been funded by student-led grant projects.

-Ongoing effort to plant native plants on campus that require less irrigation

-Student volunteers install educational medallions on campus storm drains to discourage the pouring of harmful liquids directly into the local creek.

A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:

Non-potable water comes from the City of Moscow Sewage Treatment Plant and from Aquaculture Labs discharge water. The University of Idaho irrigates over 183 acres with reclaimed, non-potable water, which saved 94 million gallons from the aquifer in 2018.

Ongoing initiatives:
-Expand the use of non-potable irrigation water.
-Expand the use of automated irrigation systems, especially with non-potable water, to reduce water consumption.
-Ongoing efforts to improve steam condensate return systems.

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

University of Idaho adopted and implemented construction standards for the installation of low flow fixtures on new construction and/or replacement remodels. In addition, we have policies in place which do not allow equipment that requires water for cooling purposes.

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

https://www.uidaho.edu/infrastructure/facilities/ues/water-data

Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Elmer Johnson, Water Systems Manager; McKinstry