| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 57.04 |
| Liaison | Larry Cook |
| Submission Date | Feb. 29, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of South Carolina
OP-26: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.42 / 4.00 |
Namita
Koppa Assistant Director for Program Management Office of Sustainability |
Level of water risk for the institution’s main campus:
Total water use (potable and non-potable combined)::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water use | 430,257,789 Gallons | 406,322,371 Gallons |
Potable water use::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 390,474,890 Gallons | 368,816,542 Gallons |
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users"::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 12,845 | 11,810 |
| Number of residential employees | 17 | 12 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 28,022 | 21,664 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 6,890 | 5,841 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 357 | 60 |
Gross floor area of building space::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross floor area | 10,615,885 Square feet | 9,194,709 Square feet |
Area of vegetated grounds::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Vegetated grounds | 119 Acres | 102 Acres |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | Jan. 1, 2014 | Dec. 31, 2014 |
| Baseline Year | Jan. 1, 2006 | Dec. 31, 2006 |
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
To align with this year's STARS reporting.
Water recycled/reused on campus, performance year:
Recycled/reused water withdrawn from off-campus sources, performance year:
A brief description of any water recovery and reuse systems employed by the institution:
There are several rainwater barrels and cisterns on campus designed to capture rainwater and reuse it for irrigation and garden management. One 1000-gallon capacity barrel is being deployed to bring harvested rainwater to the campus community garden. We have water recovery and reuse systems on some of our buildings. The Darla Moore School of Business has a grey water capture system. We also have installed Calsense Irrigation meters on some of our fields which conserves water as well. We have installed low flow fixtures in restrooms. At our energy plants, which use water for the cooling towers and boilers, we have installed wells to decrease our use of city water.
A brief description of any water metering and management systems employed by the institution:
The renovated Patterson Hall has meters for all utilities, including water, and displays that consumption on the building dashboard. More information can be found at: http://www.housing.sc.edu/energy
A brief description of any building retrofit practices employed by the institution, e.g. to install high efficiency plumbing fixtures and fittings:
We have installed foot-pedal valves that prevent the water from running unnecessarily in the kitchens, and low gpm fixtures have been installed in the sinks and showers of many of the dormitories on campus.
A brief description of any policies or programs employed by the institution to replace appliances, equipment and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
A brief description of any water-efficient landscape design practices employed by the institution (e.g. xeriscaping):
Grounds policy takes careful consideration to use native and adapted plants that respond well to the average monthly rainfall. As landscape plantings mature, irrigation systems can be shut off except in times of critical stress. Most planting plans limit turf areas and make extensive use of low-volume drip irrigation. All landscaping on campus incorporates this policy.
A brief description of any weather-informed irrigation technologies employed by the institution:
Over two acres of turf grass are irrigated with a weather-based irrigation managemnt system with remote monitoring and access capabilities. Another two acres are irrigated with weather-based controllers (without remote access).
A brief description of other water conservation and efficiency strategies employed by the institution:
The website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency initiatives is available:
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.