Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.57
Liaison Jeff Spoelstra
Submission Date July 22, 2014
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Western Michigan University
OP-26: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.00 / 5.00 Anand Sankey
Director, Engineering Division and Mainenance Services
Facilities 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 208,448,920 Gallons 191,653,126 Gallons

Potable water use::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 208,448,920 Gallons 191,653,126 Gallons

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users"::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of residential students 5,598
+ Date Revised: Sept. 8, 2014
5,623
Number of residential employees 10 15
Number of in-patient hospital beds 0 0
Full-time equivalent enrollment 20,873 21,658
Full-time equivalent of employees 2,891 2,861
Full-time equivalent of distance education students 756 533

Gross floor area of building space::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 8,000,000 Square feet 8,000,000 Square feet

Area of vegetated grounds::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 327 Acres 327 Acres

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2012 June 30, 2012
Baseline Year July 1, 2009 June 30, 2012

A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
Opted to use the three year average in order to account for seasonal variations in water use. July-June was used because it is the university's fiscal year, and is the common time period that records are kept in.

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Recycled/reused water withdrawn from off-campus sources, performance year: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:
WMU does not currently recycle/reuse water on campus.

A brief description of any water metering and management systems employed by the institution:
All buildings are metered at the building level for water consumption. Evaporative systems such as cooling towers and building automation system controlled irrigation systems are metered. At a minimum all water meters are monitored on a monthly basis.

A brief description of any building retrofit practices employed by the institution, e.g. to install high efficiency plumbing fixtures and fittings:
WMU has retrofitted low flow fixtures in many of its existing buildings, and is currently in the process of converting some fixtures to even lower flow. Fixtures include water closets, urinals, faucets, and showers.

A brief description of any policies or programs employed by the institution to replace appliances, equipment and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
WMU worked with the laundry vendor to upgrade laundry machines to Energy Star washing machines, which use less water.

A brief description of any water-efficient landscape design practices employed by the institution (e.g. xeriscaping):
WMU has he ability to monitor and control irrigation systems through the Building Automation System. WMU also utilizes native plants and vegetation to minimize the need for irrigation.

A brief description of any weather-informed irrigation technologies employed by the institution:
WMU has the ability to but is not currently employing weather informed irrigation technologies.

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

The website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency initiatives is available:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
---

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.