Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 45.35
Liaison Wesley Enterline
Submission Date April 22, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
OP-26: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.00 / 5.00 Wesley Enterline
Sustainability Coordinator
Facilities Planning and Management
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Level of water risk for the institution’s main campus:
High

Total water use (potable and non-potable combined)::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water use 84,179,305 Gallons 65,504,460 Gallons

Potable water use::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 84,179,305 Gallons 65,504,460 Gallons

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users"::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of residential students 4,126 3,476.50
Number of residential employees 0 0
Number of in-patient hospital beds 0 0
Full-time equivalent enrollment 10,737 9,484
Full-time equivalent of employees 1,216.75 1,056.26
Full-time equivalent of distance education students 2,026 1,420

Gross floor area of building space::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 3,017,518 Square feet 2,564,128 Square feet

Area of vegetated grounds::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 308.20 Acres 315 Acres

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2013 June 30, 2014
Baseline Year July 1, 2007 June 30, 2008

A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:

The baseline was adopted to maintain congruence with the other energy and emissions-related data baselines.


Water recycled/reused on campus, performance year:
0 Gallons

Recycled/reused water withdrawn from off-campus sources, performance year:
0 Gallons

A brief description of any water recovery and reuse systems employed by the institution:

There are no water recovery or reuse systems in place that have any significant impact. The only example of this is the use of graywater from Hyland Hall in the campus water feature, but this amount is minimal and is currently not being metered.


A brief description of any water metering and management systems employed by the institution:

Water meters are managed by the municipal water utility. They have recently installed wireless meters that are read and billed monthly, which provides much more accurate and reliable data than the quarterly information previously used.


A brief description of any building retrofit practices employed by the institution, e.g. to install high efficiency plumbing fixtures and fittings:

Many of the retrofit projects have focused on implementing low-flow water fixtures and upgrading the plumbing systems in general. Several of the newer campus buildings also utilize dual-flush toilets to help reduce the water consumption of those fixtures.


A brief description of any policies or programs employed by the institution to replace appliances, equipment and systems with water-efficient alternatives:

Recent purchases of industrial dishwashing equipment have realized significant savings over their predecessors. Previous dishwashers used 400 gallons per minute, but they were replaced with models that used only 90 gallons per minute.


A brief description of any water-efficient landscape design practices employed by the institution (e.g. xeriscaping):

As a general practice, our campus also practices water efficient landscaping by planting native species and other low-maintenance plant varieties that do not require significant water inputs.  This practice is also extended to most turf areas on campus, as no-mow zones during summer eliminates much of the need to maintain traditional turf areas.  The only time we water anything, it is to establish areas of new turf or other new plantings.


A brief description of any weather-informed irrigation technologies employed by the institution:

Since the irrigation is limited on campus, there isn't much need for weather-informed practices outside of ensuring that irrigation is not occurring on the same days there is a forecasted chance of rain. However, most irrigation is to establish new plantings and the consistency of water at that early stage is the main priority.


A brief description of other water conservation and efficiency strategies employed by the institution:

A significant portion of water consumption has to do with running chiller units to provide air conditioning to buildings during the summer months. Therefore, an effort to properly manage indoor temperatures has a significant impact on our overall water use. Proper maintenance of these chillers also ensures that fresh water is being used efficiently.

Trayless food service was introduced several years ago and significant water savings were realized in a very limited rollout at the dining halls on campus. This has been adopted as campus policy and has the added benefit or reducing food waste that might have been taken if someone has a tray to use to hold extra food they end up not eating.


The website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency initiatives is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

http://www.whitewater-wi.gov/water-utility

Construction projects between baseline and performance years mostly displaced parking with buildings. Data not available, so an estimate was used for additional vegetated grounds displaced by newly impermeable surfaces.


http://www.whitewater-wi.gov/water-utility

Construction projects between baseline and performance years mostly displaced parking with buildings. Data not available, so an estimate was used for additional vegetated grounds displaced by newly impermeable surfaces.

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.