| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 70.12 |
| Liaison | Maria Dahmus |
| Submission Date | March 5, 2021 |
University of St. Thomas
OP-21: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
David
Clysdale Mechanical Maintenance Supervisor Facilities Management |
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 | 46,042,998 Gallons | 69,945,793 Gallons |
Potable water use:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 42,967,364 Gallons | 65,268,110 Gallons |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | July 1, 2019 | June 30, 2020 |
| Baseline Period | July 1, 2013 | June 30, 2014 |
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
The baseline year was selected based on the most reliable historic data available in the university's key performance indicators tracking system.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 2,378 | 2,554 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 28 | 37 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 11 | 15 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 8,649 | 8,799 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,556 | 1,595 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 97.80 | 8.30 |
| Weighted campus users | 8,192.90 | 8,452.03 |
Potable water use per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per weighted campus user | 5,244.46 Gallons | 7,722.19 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 | 3,138,789 Gross square feet | 3,170,000 Gross square feet |
Potable water use per unit of floor area:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per unit of floor area | 13.69 Gallons per square foot | 20.59 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 | 43.80 Acres | 44.80 Acres |
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds | 1,051,210 Gallons per acre | 1,561,290.02 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:
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
All restroom remodels and new residence hall construction projects specified low-flow fixtures and appliances. The Anderson Student Center is a LEED Gold building with low-flow fixtures. The university introduced a control strategy for cooling tower makeup water to reduce consumption, installed low flow fixtures in residence halls (sinks and shower heads), installed low-flow fixtures in several administration buildings, and introduced a steam trap maintenance program.
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 used for the majority of our irrigation needs comes from two private wells located on our campus in St Paul. One well is in the north and one well is in the south. Data for those two wells were included in this report. All of our irrigation systems are controlled using a Rainbird IQ Cloud smart system. This system has the capability to control watering amounts by using evapotranspiration readings.
During the growing season of 2020, we chose one area of mid-campus to test the feasibility of using evapotranspiration information to control watering amounts. We plan to expand this program in 2021 to include all irrigation systems currently running off city water. All irrigation heads installed after 2018 are pressure regulated heads.
Water used for the majority of our irrigation needs comes from two private wells located on our campus in St Paul. One well is in the north and one well is in the south. Data for those two wells were included in this report. All of our irrigation systems are controlled using a Rainbird IQ Cloud smart system. This system has the capability to control watering amounts by using evapotranspiration readings.
During the growing season of 2020, we chose one area of mid-campus to test the feasibility of using evapotranspiration information to control watering amounts. We plan to expand this program in 2021 to include all irrigation systems currently running off city water. All irrigation heads installed after 2018 are pressure regulated heads.
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.