Overall Rating	Silver - expired
Overall Score	54.15
Liaison	Leslie North
Submission Date	March 3, 2017
Executive Letter	Download

STARS v2.1

Western Kentucky University
OP-22: Water Use

Status

Score

Responsible Party

4.00 / 4.00

"---" 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:

Low to Medium

Part 1

Total water use (potable and non-potable combined):

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Total water use	---	269,844,888 Gallons

Potable water use:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use	127,195,156 Gallons	269,844,888 Gallons

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

	Start Date	End Date
Performance Year	July 1, 2015	June 30, 2016
Baseline Year	July 1, 2008	June 30, 2009

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:

It is not a formally adopted baseline, however it has served as the baseline for AASHE STARS reporting since our first submission. WKU Facilities Management tracks utility use including water, so use data is always readily available.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site	4,737	4,393
Number of employees resident on-site	25	0
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds	0	0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	16,143	15,951
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty)	2,450	2,453
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	3,053	499
Weighted campus users	12,845.50	14,527

Potable water use per weighted campus user:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user	9,901.92 Gallons	18,575.40 Gallons

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

46.69

Part 2

Gross floor area of building space:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Gross floor area	5,187,930 Gross square feet	4,743,844 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area	24.52 Gallons per square foot	56.88 Gallons per square foot

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

56.90

Part 3

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	206.98 Acres	220 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	1,226,567.67 Gallons per acre

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

---

Optional Fields

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:

In 2016, WKU began installing building level water metering to enable better measurement and benchmarking. We are now able to determine areas of high water use, detect possible leaks, and develop goals for water use reduction.

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

Several rainwater harvesting systems have been installed at WKU. At three sites on the main campus, and one site at the WKU farm, rainwater is collected from rooftops into large cisterns. On campus, one of two 550 gallon cisterns is located near the Department of Facilities Management and the other is at the Health Services building. The water from the cisterns is dispersed to drip lines that irrigate local gardens. At the Dept. of Facilities Management maintenance barn at South Street, six 2,600 gallon cisterns collect water off the barn roof, which is used to fill an irrigation truck for campus trees and gardens. On the Farm, two 1300 gallon cisterns collect water from the livestock barn roof. This water is for many uses, including spraying down the Expo Center arena floor to reduce dust.

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):

WKU entered into an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) with Johnson Controls Inc. in 2009. WKU’s ESPC includes $9.7 million in energy reducing and facility improvements. Thirty-eight existing buildings have been impacted with 2,114 water saving fixtures.

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:

https://www.wku.edu/sustainability

Additional documentation to support the submission:

main campus water and irrigation usage 15-16.xlsx

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Water data use obtained from Kayla Howard, Department of Facilities Management. The spreadsheet detailing water use by location is attached for verification and consistency in future reporting.