Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 58.64
Liaison Casey Meehan
Submission Date Dec. 22, 2020

STARS v2.2

Western Technical College
OP-21: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 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 Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas:
Low to Medium

Part 1. Reduction in potable water use per person 

Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal 45,708.72 Cubic meters 57,646.24 Cubic meters

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 34,677.03 Cubic meters 57,646.24 Cubic meters

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Period Jan. 1, 2018 Dec. 31, 2018
Baseline Period Jan. 1, 2009 Dec. 31, 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:
---

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 200 97
Number of employees resident on-site 1 4
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 3,162.38 1,780
Full-time equivalent of employees 600 554
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 393.50 202
Weighted campus users 2,576.91 1,624.25

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 13.46 Cubic meters 35.49 Cubic meters

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
62.08

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 104,676.32 Gross square meters 57,577.75 Gross square meters

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 0.33 Cubic meters per square meter 1 Cubic meters per square meter

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
66.91

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

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 82.95 Hectares 1.22 Hectares

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds 551.04 Cubic meters per hectare 47,167.91 Cubic meters per hectare

Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
98.83

Optional Fields 

A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives:
Western Technical College has plans to add signage about water usage in the residence hall. In September 2020, there will be tabletop stands throughout the residence hall about ways to be more sustainable, including ways to use less water.

A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
A rain-barrel was installed in 2015 and is used in Western's Horticulture Center. A 15,000 gallon cistern of non-potable water is pumped in from the Business Education Center Condensate and collected from the roof drains. This water is used to irrigate the grounds and fill toilets. At the Sparta campus, a grey water system uses pond water to fill toilets and fire trucks to help with firefighter training.

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
During the $80 million referendum building projects, Western installed high efficiency plumbing fixtures and fittings in all new construction and retrofit projects. All shower heads in the residence hall have been replaced with low flow shower heads. Aerators have been installed on faucets to reduce the volume of water coming from faucets.

Website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Non-potable water data from our Sparta campus (included in "Total water withdrawl" in Part 1) is from the 2019 year, as the 2018 data is misleading.

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.