Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 73.33
Liaison Maria Dahmus
Submission Date Nov. 30, 2023

STARS v2.2

University of St. Thomas
OP-21: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.98 / 6.00 David Clysdale
Mechanical Maintenance Supervisor
Facilities Management
"---" 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 62,590,254 Gallons 69,945,793 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 59,514,620 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, 2022 June 30, 2023
Baseline Period July 1, 2013 June 30, 2014

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 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 2,927 2,554
Number of employees resident on-site 21 37
Number of other individuals resident on-site 7 15
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 7,971 8,799
Full-time equivalent of employees 1,581 1,595
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 371.90 8.30
Weighted campus users 7,629.08 8,452.03

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 7,801.03 Gallons 7,722.19 Gallons

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

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 3,668,652 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 16.22 Gallons per square foot 20.59 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
21.21

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

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 1,429,001.23 Gallons per acre 1,561,290.02 Gallons per acre

Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
8.47

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:
---

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.

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 wells located on our campus in St Paul. One well is in the north and one well is in the south. Meters were installed in spring of 2020 on these wells to track use. 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. All irrigation heads installed after 2018 are pressure regulated heads.

The level of "Physical Risk Quantity” for the physical address of the institution’s main campus in St. Paul is "High," as indicated by the World Resources Institute Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas.

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.