Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 53.92
Liaison Patricia Huynh
Submission Date Oct. 26, 2021

STARS v2.2

University of Waterloo
OP-21: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.07 / 4.00 Chris Ford
Energy Manager
Plant Operations
"---" 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:
Low to Medium

Part 1. Reduction in potable water use per person 

Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal 607,163 Cubic meters 559,946 Cubic meters

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 607,163 Cubic meters 559,946 Cubic meters

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Period Jan. 1, 2019 Dec. 31, 2019
Baseline Period Jan. 1, 2015 Dec. 31, 2015

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 2015 baseline year was adopted for consistency with other energy and emissions baselines.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 5,724 5,200
Number of employees resident on-site 0 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 36,633 33,203
Full-time equivalent of employees 5,737 5,603
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 1,153 979
Weighted campus users 32,343.75 29,670.25

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 18.77 Cubic meters 18.87 Cubic meters

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
0.53

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 820,418 Gross square meters 749,162 Gross square meters

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 0.74 Cubic meters per square meter 0.75 Cubic meters per square meter

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
0.99

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

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 194.70 Hectares 194.70 Hectares

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds 3,118.46 Cubic meters per hectare 2,875.95 Cubic meters per hectare

Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
-8.43

Optional Fields 

A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives:
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A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
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A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
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Website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency efforts is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
There are discrepancies between the weighted campus users reported here and in PRE-5 due to timing of submission to account for COVID-19 disruption. The PRE credits reflected most recent numbers from Fall 2020, in which the vast majority of students were in online learning, and campus operations were significantly reduced. As this is not at all indicative of normal and expected future operations, Waterloo has submitted 2019 data for both water consumption and for headcounts to be more representative.
Similarly, the space discrepancies between PRE-4 and this submission are a result of PRE-4 reporting most recent/accurate (2020), and this credit reporting most representative (2019) given significant changes to campus operations from COVID-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.