University of Massachusetts Amherst
OP-21: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Ezra
Small Sustainability Manager Physical Plant |
Level of ”Physical Risk Quantity” for the institution’s main campus as indicated by the World Resources Institute Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas:
Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water withdrawal | 232,456,944 Gallons | 329,889,776 Gallons |
Potable water use:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 194,752,272 Gallons | 276,841,673 Gallons |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | July 1, 2021 | June 30, 2022 |
| Baseline Period | July 1, 2004 | June 30, 2005 |
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
UMass Amherst has always used FY2005 as our baseline for benchmarking water usage in STARS.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 13,390 | 11,539 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 83 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 29,863.80 | 22,957 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 7,265.10 | 5,838 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 4,525.50 | 388 |
| Weighted campus users | 27,820.80 | 24,190 |
Potable water use per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per weighted campus user | 7,000.24 Gallons | 11,444.47 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 | 13,240,321.12 Gross square feet | 9,989,626 Gross square feet |
Potable water use per unit of floor area:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per unit of floor area | 14.71 Gallons per square foot | 27.71 Gallons per square foot |
Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
Area of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Vegetated grounds | 1,535 Acres | 1,350 Acres |
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds | 151,437.75 Gallons per acre | 244,362.80 Gallons per acre |
Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives:
A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
The difference in the total water consumption and the potable water use on campus in our performance year is so drastic is because of the high amounts of reclaimed water the campus re-uses from the wastewater treatment plant. This water is therefore not released into waterways but reused for steam production, cooling towers and irrigation across the campus and is a very important sustainability practice of our campus. More about this below...
Reclaimed Water Expansion
UMass Amherst is making strides in reducing the amount of potable water consumption through an array of water conservation efforts including the use of treated reclaimed water (effluent) from the Amherst Waste Water Treatment Plant. UMass Amherst is saving water in the residence halls and across campus in response to the Town of Amherst water restrictions and drought response from 2016: https://www.umass.edu/sustainability/water-conservation
2005 Reclaimed Water for CHP Steam and Hot Water:
Since 2005 the UMass Amherst Central Heating Plant (CHP) has safely utilized the effluent (reclaimed water) from the Amherst Waste Water Treatment Plant as boiler make-up water to produce steam for the campus and hot water distributed in a closed piping system throughout the campus. The water is treated with a state-of-the-art reverse osmosis (RO) treatment process. This initiative reduced potable water consumption by about 17%.
2013 & 2015 Expansion to Cooling Towers:
To increase water conservation, in 2013 the CHP submitted a Class A Reclaimed Water Application to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to use reclaimed water at the CHP cooling towers. The campus received the permit to expand the reclaimed water for cooling tower use and has been using the reclaimed water for this purpose ever since at the CHP cooling tower. In 2015, UMass Amherst received authorization from the DEP to maximize our reclaimed water usage during the summer months to include the Commonwealth Honors Residential Complex which will be completed and implemented in time for the 2017 cooling season.
2018 Expansion to Irrigation:
In early 2018, the campus received an extension of the Class A Reclaimed Water Permit to expand the use of treated reclaimed water from the Amherst Wastewater Treatment Plant for the use of dust control and for watering plants to conserve potable water used for irrigation in response to the Town of Amherst water ban restrictions. This use for dust control and irrigation will be conducted under the existing Class A permit for reuse and the permit is being amended for this additional use. The campus has committed to a number of actions in order to comply with 314 CMR 20.13(1) and 314 CMR 20.13(2).
NOTE: The use of reclaimed water is extensively tested to minimize risk to employees and the campus under the Class A permit.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
UMass Amherst is constantly upgrading fixtures in existing buildings and has low flow fixture standards for new construction and major renovation through the LEED rating system. UMass Amherst has installed hundreds of hydration stations, in many cases replacing them with older less efficient water bubblers.
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:
Water data comes from Steve Lemay from the UMass Amherst Central Heating Plant. Once water consumption data from Mt. Ida comes in, we will add to the totals.
Water data comes from Steve Lemay from the UMass Amherst Central Heating Plant. Once water consumption data from Mt. Ida comes in, we will add to the totals.
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.