Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 58.55
Liaison Amy Brunvand
Submission Date April 5, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Utah
OP-22: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 6.00 Matt Abbott
Sustainability Manager
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’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas:
High

Part 1 

Total water use (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water use --- 913,482,106.72 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 353,528,708.82 Gallons 913,482,106.72 Gallons

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, 2010 Dec. 31, 2010

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 2010 baseline year was selected to maintain a consistent emission-inventory history between the performance year and the year we had previously submitted a STARS report.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 3,914 3,558
Number of employees resident on-site 167 158
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 2,308 2,222
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 30,038 29,456
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 17,806 15,319
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 527 355
Weighted campus users 38,816 36,466

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 9,107.81 Gallons 25,050.24 Gallons

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
63.64

Part 2 

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 15,320,374 Gross square feet 12,656,211 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 23.08 Gallons per square foot 72.18 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
68.03

Part 3 

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in total water use per acre/hectare of vegetated grounds):
No

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 212.12 Acres 212.12 Acres

Total water use (potable + non-potable) per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water use per unit of vegetated grounds 0 Gallons per acre 4,306,440.25 Gallons per acre

Percentage reduction in total water use per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
---

Optional Fields 

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:
Primary shifts have occurred around passive management (e.g. low flow) and through selective landscaping.

A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
Outside of a few, select gray water and water catchment systems, there is no comprehensive campus initiative.

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):
Low flow toilets, sinks, and fixtures are pursued throughout the campus. Implementation of these upgrades is consistent for the majority of renovations and new construction. There have been some obstacles implementing these changes in the Health Sciences campus due to water line contamination concerns.

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:
Performance year for this credit is 2014. Building area and student/faculty/staff populations are from 2014, while the information listed in IC-2 and IC-3 is from 2016. PUBLICATIONS Ross Chambless. Water Conservation: With Landscape Irrigation, the University's Aim is Water Neutrality. Continuum (Summer 2012). URL: http://continuum.utah.edu/features/water-conservation

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.