Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 69.87
Liaison Cindy Shea
Submission Date Dec. 23, 2020

STARS v2.2

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
OP-21: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 6.00 Margaret Holton
Water, Wastewater & Stormwater Manager
ES Water/Sewer
"---" 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:
High

Part 1. Reduction in potable water use per person 

Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal 2,967,928 Cubic meters 2,880,360.11 Cubic meters

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 1,753,118 Cubic meters 2,880,360.11 Cubic meters

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Period July 1, 2018 June 30, 2019
Baseline Period July 1, 1999 June 30, 2000

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 campus suffered a severe drought in 2001/2002 and instituted aggressive and ongoing water conservation measures as a result.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 8,554 6,754
Number of employees resident on-site 17 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site 198 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 29,272 21,921.67
Full-time equivalent of employees 13,329 9,591
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 1,007 271.50
Weighted campus users 33,536.25 25,119.38

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 52.28 Cubic meters 114.67 Cubic meters

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
54.41

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 1,810,103.66 Gross square meters 1,085,593.29 Gross square meters

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 0.97 Cubic meters per square meter 2.65 Cubic meters per square meter

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
63.50

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

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 228.65 Hectares 226.42 Hectares

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds 12,980.38 Cubic meters per hectare 12,721.24 Cubic meters per hectare

Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
-2.04

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:
UNC uses non-potable water from multiple sources including: reclaimed water from the local water and sewer authority (treatment plant is adjacent to campus), harvested rainwater stored in cisterns, and collected condensate.

The Energy Services Chilled Water utility is the largest user of non-potable water at UNC. Non-potable water (primarily reclaimed water) is used for cooling tower make-up water at the four, central chilled water plants on campus.

The FedEx Global Education Center, the Genome Sciences Building, Marsico Hall, and the NC Botanical Garden Visitor Center have non-potable water flushing systems.

Both above and below ground cisterns store clean rainwater that is harvested to flush toilets and irrigate landscapes. These include the football practice fields, Fetzer Field, Boshamer Stadium (baseball). When rainwater is insufficient, reclaimed wastewater from OWASA provides a non-potable backup.

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
Water saving laboratory equipment, toilets, sinks, showers, and urinals are specified in new building projects and renovations. During the 2001/2002 and 2007/2008 droughts significant investments were made in a variety of water consuming technologies.

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 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.