| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.21 |
| Liaison | Gary Cocke |
| Submission Date | Sept. 11, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
The University of Texas at Dallas
OP-22: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.43 / 5.00 |
Gary
Cocke Sustainability Director Office of Sustainability |
Level of ”Physical Risk QUANTITY” for the institution’s main campus as indicated by the World Resources Institute’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas:
Total water use (potable and non-potable combined):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water use | --- | 111,666,000 Gallons |
Potable water use:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 186,066,000 Gallons | 111,666,000 Gallons |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | Sept. 1, 2018 | Aug. 31, 2019 |
| Baseline Year | Sept. 1, 2006 | Aug. 31, 2007 |
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
The University of Texas at Dallas continued the expansion of the campus from 2007 to 2019 by adding the Natural Science and Engineering Research Laboratory, the Center for Brain Health (near the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center),the Bio-engineering and Sciences Building, the Engineering & Computer Science West Building, a new Science Building, The Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center, and Northside Phase 1 & 2. The addition of these buildings added a floor area of 4,271,121.65 Gross Square Feet.
The baseline year was selected to capture data from before the building growth on campus and associated efficiency with modern buildings.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 5,485 | 2,646 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 24,175 | 12,089 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 3,535 | 2,008 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 589 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 21,712 | 11,234.25 |
Potable water use per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per weighted campus user | 8,569.73 Gallons | 9,939.78 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 | 7,099,093 Gross square feet | 2,772,487 Gross square feet |
Potable water use per unit of floor area:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per unit of floor area | 26.21 Gallons per square foot | 40.28 Gallons per square foot |
Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
Does the institution wish to pursue Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in total water use per acre/hectare of vegetated grounds):
Area of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Vegetated grounds | --- | --- |
Total water use (potable + non-potable) per unit of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water use per unit of vegetated grounds | --- | --- |
Percentage reduction in total water use per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives, e.g. initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices such as signage and competitions:
In 2019, Student Government in partnership with The Office of Sustainability launched a new way to learn about sustainability by introducing Sustainable Semesters: The Water Crisis.
During this ten-week program, students explored the scarcity of water both in the United States and around the world. The group met every two weeks for a seminar-style discussion on the provided materials. The course was free to all registered students, staff, and faculty. Topics include, but not limited to: Water shortage in the Western United States, Urban design for water conservation and water capture, and Biodigesters.
The Office of Sustainability offered 50 sustainable service hours for participating. These hours count towards the Global Citizen Sustainable Service Honors.
A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
UT Dallas recovers water at the LEED Platinum Student Services Building and LEED Gold Bioengineering and Sciences Building. The Student Services Building captures rainwater for irrigation use and Bioengineering and Sciences Building features an innovative system that captures rainwater, reverse ossmosis reject water harvesting, and condensate capture and utilizes the water to reduce need for potable water in irrigation.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives (e.g. building retrofits):
UT Dallas has adopted constructions standards that require efficient fixtures in all capital projects and remodels. UT Dallas has also updated irrigation controllers in order only irrigate when plant water needs require that rainfall is supplemented, and to eliminate unnecessary irrigation.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Water use data attached.
FTE data is from fall 2019 and performance year water use data is from FY 19.
Water use data attached.
FTE data is from fall 2019 and performance year water use data is from FY 19.
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.