Overall Rating	Silver
Overall Score	61.63
Liaison	Leslie North
Submission Date	March 1, 2024

STARS v2.2

Western Kentucky University
OP-21: Water Use

Status

Score

Responsible Party

5.00 / 5.00

Madeline Petty
Graduate Assistant
Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences

"---" 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:

Medium to High

Part 1. Reduction in potable water use per person

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

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal	105,624,544 Gallons	269,844,888 Gallons

Potable water use:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use	105,624,544 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 Period	July 1, 2022	June 30, 2023
Baseline Period	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	4,417	4,393
Number of employees resident on-site	21	0
Number of other individuals resident on-site	0	0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	12,256	15,951
Full-time equivalent of employees	1,991.33	2,453
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	1,638.70	499
Weighted campus users	10,565.97	14,527

Potable water use per weighted campus user:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user	9,996.67 Gallons	18,575.40 Gallons

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

46.18

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	5,764,345 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	18.32 Gallons per square foot	56.88 Gallons per square foot

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

67.79

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

Area of vegetated grounds:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds	165 Acres	220 Acres

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds	640,148.75 Gallons per acre	1,226,567.67 Gallons per acre

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

47.81

Optional Fields

A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives:

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:

WKU entered into an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) with Johnson Controls Inc. in 2009. WKU’s ESPC lead to $9.7 million in energy reducing and facility improvements. Thirty-eight existing buildings were equipped with 2,114 water saving fixtures. In 2019, WKU discontinued their contract with Johnson Controls in order to cut costs.

Website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency efforts is available:

https://www.wku.edu/sustainability/grounds.php

Additional documentation to support the submission:

FY23_Water_Usage_in_Gallons.xlsx

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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