| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 51.95 |
| Liaison | C Jane Hagen |
| Submission Date | July 24, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Virginia Commonwealth University
OP-26: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.12 / 4.00 |
Steve
Heinitz Recycling Manager Physical Plant |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
None
Level of water risk for the institution’s main campus:
Medium to High
Total water use (potable and non-potable combined)::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water use | 315,953,630 Gallons | 320,726,000 Gallons |
None
Potable water use::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 304,140,470 Gallons | 310,816,150 Gallons |
None
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users"::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 5,700 | 4,706 |
| Number of residential employees | 11 | 0 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 28,159 | 23,884 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 6,392 | 5,210 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 0 | 0 |
None
Gross floor area of building space::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross floor area | 4,819,720 Square feet | 3,820,371 Square feet |
None
Area of vegetated grounds::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Vegetated grounds | 720 Acres | 224 Acres |
None
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | June 30, 2013 | July 1, 2014 |
| Baseline Year | June 30, 2007 | July 1, 2008 |
None
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
The water use baseline was adopted in 2008 to coincide with the 2008 emissions baseline.
None
Water recycled/reused on campus, performance year:
0
Gallons
None
Recycled/reused water withdrawn from off-campus sources, performance year:
0
Gallons
None
A brief description of any water recovery and reuse systems employed by the institution:
Rainwater is collected and stored in a 12,000 gallon cistern and is used for landscape irrigation at the Cary Street Gym on the Monroe Park Campus. Rainwater is also captured for irrigation at the VCU Rice Center.
None
A brief description of any water metering and management systems employed by the institution:
There are water consumption meters for most of the buildings owned and operated by VCU.
None
A brief description of any building retrofit practices employed by the institution, e.g. to install high efficiency plumbing fixtures and fittings:
VCU replaces plumbing fixtures and fittings on an ongoing basis and always replaces outdated equipment with the most efficient option possible.
None
A brief description of any policies or programs employed by the institution to replace appliances, equipment and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
VCU replaces plumbing appliances, equipment and systems on an ongoing basis and always replaces outdated equipment with the most efficient option possible.
None
A brief description of any water-efficient landscape design practices employed by the institution (e.g. xeriscaping):
Green Unity completed a two phase stormwater awareness and management project called "Gardens 4 Life". The first phase involved replacing existing evergreen vegetation in beds at the Trani Center for Life Sciences with indigenous plants (xeriscaping or “bayscaping" aka landscaping for the Chesapeake Bay). The second phase was the creation of a “rain garden,” in the courtyard of the Grace E Harris Building. The rain garden is a landscaped depression surrounded by berms and filled with native plants. The plants filter and clean rainwater runoff from walkways and roofs, reducing pollution going into the Chesapeake Bay.
None
A brief description of any weather-informed irrigation technologies employed by the institution:
VCU has rain-sensors installed in some of the irrigation systems on campus.
None
A brief description of other water conservation and efficiency strategies employed by the institution:
---
None
The website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency initiatives is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Vegetated Grounds Acres includes Monroe Park Campus , Medical Campus, Ashland Farm and Rice Center for Performance Year. Rice Center was not included for the Baseline year.
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.