Overall Rating	Gold
Overall Score	70.92
Liaison	Amy Brunvand
Submission Date	Sept. 12, 2023

STARS v2.2

University of Utah
OP-21: Water Use

Status

Score

Responsible Party

6.00 / 6.00

Emerson Andrews
Sustainable Campus Initiative Fund Manager
Sustainability Office

"---" 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	912,066,969 Gallons	1,214,760,228 Gallons

Potable water use:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use	805,046,829.93 Gallons	1,214,760,228 Gallons

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):

	Start Date	End Date
Performance Period	July 1, 2021	June 30, 2022
Baseline Period	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	4,278	3,558
Number of employees resident on-site	110	158
Number of other individuals resident on-site	816	2,222
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	30,166	29,456
Full-time equivalent of employees	22,765	15,319
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	3,929	355
Weighted campus users	38,664.50	36,466

Potable water use per weighted campus user:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user	20,821.34 Gallons	33,312.13 Gallons

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

37.50

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	17,941,415 Gross square feet	13,985,662 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area	44.87 Gallons per square foot	86.86 Gallons per square foot

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

48.34

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

Area of vegetated grounds:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds	239 Acres	212.12 Acres

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds	3,816,179.79 Gallons per acre	5,726,759.51 Gallons per acre

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

33.36

Optional Fields

A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives:

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

The University of Utah will respond to the mandates outlined in Utah House Bill 121.Section 1.3
(3) (a) A state agency shall reduce the state agency's outdoor water use as compared to the state agency's outdoor water use for fiscal year 2020:
(i) in an amount equal to or greater than 5% by the end of fiscal year 2023;
and
(ii) in an amount equal to or greater than 25% by the end of fiscal year
2026.
https://le.utah.gov/~2022/bills/static/HB0121.html

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:

Although not fully represented within the reporting period, largest impacts were recently made with to a campus-wide upgrade of the irrigation control system that better accounts for weather variation and soil needs.

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.

Significant work was also done to identify and repair leaks in the high temp system and changes in plant cooling towers resulted in significant water savings.

Website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency efforts is available:

https://facilities.utah.edu/se/index.php

Additional documentation to support the submission:

---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

SOURCES
Facilities Sustainability & Energy tracks water use of utility bills and well water over time. Water systems are associated with buildings along with their floor area, construction date, and demolition year to account for changes over time. The university purchases most water from Salt Lake City, but some irrigation water pulled from a well system on site.

NOTE: The University system also serves water to the Intermountain Healthcare Primary Children's Medical Center, which that area has been added as a part of the system boundary for this credit. That building area is not applicable to energy and campus boundaries

NOTE: University began tracking well pump non-potable water used for irrigation in 2013. In 2010 the University began gradually switching irrigation from 100% potable water from the Salt Lake City water system to non-potable well water. In addition to the progress made in system efficiencies noted above, the reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user is also due in part to the shift to well water for landscape irrigation.

Utah Division of Facilities Construction and Management (DFCM). Design Requirements: University of Utah Supplement. November 1, 2017.
URL: https://dfcm.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/University-Design-Requirements-November-1-2017-final.docx.pdf
C. Water Distribution System (1) The source of the University’s domestic water distribution system is Salt Lake City’s water supply system. (2) Water conservation measures are to be designed into, and implemented on all new construction or substantial remodeling projects. No project is to increase the quantity of water consumed; indeed; water consumption should decrease with the completion of each project.