Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 66.63
Liaison Mike Evans
Submission Date March 3, 2022

STARS v2.2

Williams College
OP-21: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Tanja Srebotnjak
Director
Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives
"---" 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

Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal 26,421,604 Gallons 46,595,979 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 25,433,766 Gallons 42,406,614.75 Gallons

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Period July 1, 2020 June 30, 2021
Baseline Period July 1, 2004 June 30, 2005

A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:

To attempt to keep a consistent baseline year throughout the report. 2004/5 was the fiscal year prior to our first greenhouse gas emission reduction goal and is used throughout the submission.

Water withdrawals were considerably lower in the performance year (FY21) due to COVID-19 impacts, which significantly reduced the on-campus population and hence water use. In addition, the college has been on a downward trajectory on water use. Between FY05 and FY21 the peak year for water withdrawals occurred in FY06 at 51,814,708 gallons and the lowest amount (aside from FY21) occurred in FY20 at 31,524,460 gallons.


Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 1,975 1,851
Number of employees resident on-site 4 124
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 2,143 1,997
Full-time equivalent of employees 1,140 989
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted campus users 2,957 2,733.25

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 8,601.21 Gallons 15,515.09 Gallons

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
44.56

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 3,032,396 Gross square feet 2,366,400 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 8.39 Gallons per square foot 17.92 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
53.20

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 435.70 Acres 436.42 Acres

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds 60,641.39 Gallons per acre 106,769.15 Gallons per acre

Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
43.20

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

Bathrooms contain signs that show how many gallons of water are used for different lengths of shower time.

Water bottle filling and hydration stations are being increased in number to encourage users to use tap/filtered water and reduce plastic bottle use.

More information on installing high-efficiency water appliances is provided below.

The Class of 1966 Environmental Center is a Living Building Challenge building with net-positive water use achieved through high-efficiency faucets, no-flush composting toilets, precipitation harvesting, and greywater filtration. There are also water retention ponds in low-lying areas of the site, one of which contains a solar powered pump and allows for the rainwater to be used to water the orchard trees when it is needed.


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

In the Class of 1966 Environmental Center, LBC petal certified, grey water is treated onsite. There are also water retention ponds in low-lying areas of the site, one of which contains a solar powered pump and allows for the rainwater to be used to water the orchard trees when it is needed.


A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:

We now replace 1.6 gallon flush toilets with 1.28 gallon flush toilets. Water efficient fixtures and appliances were added across campus such as low flow showers, low flow sink fixtures, waterless urinals, and water efficient dishwashers.


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:

Data on water consumption were obtained from Joseph Kapas (see email to Tanja from 2/28/2022.


Data on water consumption were obtained from Joseph Kapas (see email to Tanja from 2/28/2022.

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.