Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.90
Liaison Steve Mital
Submission Date March 6, 2020

STARS v2.2

University of Oregon
OP-21: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.01 / 4.00 Robyn Hathcock
Recycling Coordinator
Campus Operations
"---" 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

Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal 256,400,820 Gallons 209,639,266 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 256,400,820 Gallons 209,639,266 Gallons

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 June 30, 2011 June 30, 2014

A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:

2010 is the earliest available reliable data that covers these metrics. It is also the year before significant campus growth.


Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 4,230 3,904
Number of employees resident on-site 19 13
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 22,082 21,689
Full-time equivalent of employees 5,252 4,063
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 218 30
Weighted campus users 21,399.25 20,270.75

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 11,981.77 Gallons 10,341.96 Gallons

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

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 8,138,900 Gross square feet 6,646,800 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 31.50 Gallons per square foot 31.54 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
0.12

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 113 Acres 98 Acres

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds 2,269,033.81 Gallons per acre 2,139,176.18 Gallons per acre

Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
-6.07

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

The Oregon Model of Sustainable Development found here:
https://cpfm.uoregon.edu/oregon-model-sustainable-development

Outlines the intentions to waster waste reduction:
"The University of Oregon Model for Sustainable
Development addresses the unique aspects of
campus buildings and landscapes by focusing
on what matters most: ENERGY, WATER, AND
PEOPLE. In addition, the University of Oregon
has made a commitment for capital projects to
achieve LEED Gold."

All LEED Gold buildings use water fixtures which us <80% of the standard flow. All new construction or renovation exceeding 10,000 GSF is built to LEED Gold standards. This uses infrastructure to regulate water usage and encourage conservation.

Buildings have been outfitted with Elkay stations or goose-neck spigots as water refill stations. This encourages building users to make use of municipal waster systems which are less energy intensive than water extracted & bottled for commercial retail.


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

UO Eugene is guided by the Oregon Model for Sustainable Development and looks for opportunities to introduce water recovery and reuse initiatives with every new project. Currently, the UO Eugene campus has one building with stormwater reuse system. The Rec Center has a stormwater cistern used for non-potable water uses in the building. The UO OIMB campus has a 15,000 gallon cistern to collect stormwater for reuse. UO Portland is LEED Gold certified and has a 15,000 stormwater cistern with high-efficiency appliances.


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

Campus Design Standards Section 22 00 00 – Plumbing (domestic waters; waste; sewer) (Maintenance; Common Work Results; Schedules; Insulation; Instrumentation & Control) UO goals of sustainability, life-cycle costs, maintainability, serviceability, high performance, quality equipment, and efficient campus inventory must be maintained. First costs may be impacted slightly as a result, but a better product will follow. These design standards can be found here:
https://cpfm.uoregon.edu/campus-design-standards-0

The Oregon Model for Sustainability requires that new construction pay a fee into a fund that supports retrofit projects on older buildings across campus. The goal is to be net zero energy when new buildings are added.


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:
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