Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 68.31
Liaison Lisa Noriega
Submission Date Aug. 3, 2020

STARS v2.2

Yale University
OP-21: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.27 / 4.00 Lindsay Crum
Chief Manager for Sustainability Operations & Strategic Data
Yale Office of Sustainability
"---" 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

Part 1. Reduction in potable water use per person 

Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal 559,332,066 Gallons 570,159,522 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 558,064,086 Gallons 570,159,522 Gallons

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Period June 1, 2018 May 31, 2019
Baseline Period June 1, 2012 May 31, 2013

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:
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Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 6,048 4,679
Number of employees resident on-site 59 50
Number of other individuals resident on-site 101 150
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 13,368 11,906
Full-time equivalent of employees 15,580 13,733
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted campus users 23,338.75 20,561.50

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 23,911.48 Gallons 27,729.47 Gallons

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
13.77

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 18,187,016 Gross square feet 16,200,000 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 30.68 Gallons per square foot 35.20 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
12.82

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

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 325.70 Acres 325.70 Acres

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds 1,717,322.89 Gallons per acre 1,750,566.54 Gallons per acre

Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
1.90

Optional Fields 

A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives:
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A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
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A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
Initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives (e.g., building retrofits):
Yale has a goal to reduce potable water use by 5% from 2013 to 2020. A key initiative towards the water reduction goal involved replacing existing showerheads within Yale’s 12 residential colleges and athletic facilities with high-performance, low-flow showerheads. Water use data shows the impact of this initiative. Potable water use decreased by 12% at Yale’s twelve Residential Colleges and 13% at Payne Whitney Gym between FY2013 and FY2016. Another initiative involved various strategies to minimize cooling tower water demand during peak cooling months. Water use data shows that the overall annual total water use at power plants decreased by 5% between FY2013 and FY2016.

Website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency efforts is available:
https://sustainability.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/WMP%20web.pdf

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Total water withdrawal is represented by our utility water, which represents approximately 95% of our total water withdrawal (and which is the only data that we have available). This also accounts for the FY13 total and potable figures appearing equal.

Employees resident on-site and number of other individuals resident on-site are estimations for baseline year.

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.