| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 58.54 |
| Liaison | Jay Price |
| Submission Date | March 2, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Tennessee at Knoxville
OP-26: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.44 / 2.00 |
Preston
Jacobsen Sustainability Manager Facilities Services |
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 |
482,866,472
Gallons
Date Revised: Nov. 15, 2016
|
575,141,688
Gallons
Date Revised: Nov. 15, 2016
|
Potable water use::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use |
482,844,472
Gallons
Date Revised: Nov. 15, 2016
|
575,141,688
Gallons
Date Revised: Nov. 15, 2016
|
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users"::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 7,213 | 6,999 |
| Number of residential employees | 0 | 0 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 581 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 25,263.60 | 24,672 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 7,333 | 8,874 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 673 | 0 |
Gross floor area of building space::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross floor area | 15,495,697 Square feet | 14,620,844.12 Square feet |
Area of vegetated grounds::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Vegetated grounds | 274.90 Acres | 200 Acres |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2014 | June 30, 2015 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2007 | June 30, 2008 |
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
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Recycled/reused water withdrawn from off-campus sources, performance year: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:
The university has several water storage cisterns to capture and hold rainwater, which is then used for irrigation in the surrounding area.
A brief description of any water metering and management systems employed by the institution:
Many buildings are campus are set up to water metering systems.
A brief description of any building retrofit practices employed by the institution, e.g. to install high efficiency plumbing fixtures and fittings:
$20,000 from the Facilities Fee was used to replace older plumbing fixtures with fixtures that require less water. Old toilets can use 5 gallons or more per flush, newer ones use 1.6 gallons per flush. Older urinals use 3 or more gallons per flush, and newer ones use 0.8 gallons per flush. The University is also experimenting with waterless urinals which need no water. Lavatory faucets use in excess of 1 gallon per minute, newer ones will use 0.5 gallons per minute, and be automatically controlled to lessen the likelihood of faucets being left open.
A brief description of any policies or programs employed by the institution to replace appliances, equipment and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
The Appliances Purchasing Policy states "Purchases shall meet present needs while promoting sustainable practices that support ecological, human, social and economic vitality and awareness for both the campus and the community."
A brief description of any water-efficient landscape design practices employed by the institution (e.g. xeriscaping):
UTK uses pervious walkways in front of Gate 21 at Neyland Stadium to help promote groundwater recharge. Additionally, a 22,000 gallon cistern at the Haslam Business Center collects rainwater from the building's roof for irrigation. Finally, landscaping tries to plant native plants as much as possible, to minimize needed watering.
A brief description of any weather-informed irrigation technologies employed by the institution:
The Landscape Site Standards call for a combination of rain sensors on the irrigation systems and local rain sensors or a central weather station to provide weather-related data to ensure proper irrigation use.
A brief description of other water conservation and efficiency strategies employed by the institution:
Roughly 1.5 gallons of water are used to wash a dining tray. By eliminating trays from all dining locations, UT is able to conserve a great deal of water as well as time and energy.
UT Dining utilizes electrically converted water technology to clean the floors. This technology uses 70% less water than conventional scrubbing methods.
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.