Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 52.49
Liaison Caitlin McLennan
Submission Date Nov. 1, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Utah State University
OP-22: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.99 / 5.00 Jamie Pearce
Water Quality Engineer
Facilities
"---" 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:
Medium to High
+ Date Revised: Feb. 8, 2017

Total water use (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water use --- 481,555,400 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 206,064,560 Gallons 449,052,000 Gallons

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2014 June 30, 2015
Baseline Year July 1, 2006 June 30, 2007

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

We adopted 2007 since it's the year USU became a signatory to the ACUPCC.


Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 4,000 2,200
Number of employees resident on-site 120 100
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 14,288 12,649
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 2,603 2,603
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 693 193
Weighted campus users 13,178.50 11,869.25

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 15,636.42 Gallons 37,833.22 Gallons

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
58.67

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 5,995,237 Gross square feet 5,346,893 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 34.37 Gallons per square foot 83.98 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
59.07

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in total water use per acre/hectare of vegetated grounds):
Yes

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 470 Acres 480 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 1,003,240.42 Gallons per acre

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:
---

A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:

Untreated water is used for 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):
---

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:

The weighted campus user data from 2005 includes online only student data. We do not have information to separate those students from the total.

Several factors that have contributed to water conservation on campus. The primary one is leak detection and repair. USU hires a company every two years and they survey the water lines around campus to identify and fix leaks. Secondly, the university has eliminated cooling towers. Thirdly, USU has replaced chemical waste dilution systems with active and passive neutralization systems. Lastly, lower water use fixtures and other conservation efforts have saved water.


The weighted campus user data from 2005 includes online only student data. We do not have information to separate those students from the total.

Several factors that have contributed to water conservation on campus. The primary one is leak detection and repair. USU hires a company every two years and they survey the water lines around campus to identify and fix leaks. Secondly, the university has eliminated cooling towers. Thirdly, USU has replaced chemical waste dilution systems with active and passive neutralization systems. Lastly, lower water use fixtures and other conservation efforts have saved water.

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.