Vanderbilt University
OP-21: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
| -- | Reporter |
Chelsea
Hamilton Sustainability Outreach Program Manager Environmental Health, Safety, and Sustainability |
Level of ”Physical Risk Quantity” for the institution’s main campus as indicated by the World Resources Institute Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas:
Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water withdrawal | 255,480,729 Gallons | 1,419,611,966 Gallons |
Potable water use:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 241,712,460 Gallons | 1,369,611,966 Gallons |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | July 1, 2016 | June 30, 2016 |
| Baseline Period | July 1, 2005 | June 30, 2006 |
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
NA
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 6,195 | 6,210 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 29 | 7 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 1,131 | 832 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 12,210 | 11,037 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 23,611 | 19,437 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 29,552.75 | 25,241.75 |
Potable water use per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per weighted campus user | 8,179.02 Gallons | 54,259.79 Gallons |
Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
Gross floor area of building space:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross floor area | 16,147,947 Gross square feet | 13,186,242 Gross square feet |
Potable water use per unit of floor area:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per unit of floor area | 14.97 Gallons per square foot | 103.87 Gallons per square foot |
Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
Area of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Vegetated grounds | 113.45 Acres | 120.01 Acres |
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds | 2,251,923.57 Gallons per acre | 11,829,113.96 Gallons per acre |
Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives:
A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
Close to 700,000 gallons of condensate is collected from air handlers at The Commons Center and pumped into cooling towers at the on-campus chiller plant. 6 million gallons of condensate is collected in the same manner from MRB III and 5 million gallons from MRB IV. Cooling towers typically use treated, domestic water, and the colder this water is the more efficiently the building’s air conditioning system can operate. Significant savings are seen particularly on hot, humid days, when the cooling system removes large amounts of condensation from the air. The new Engineering Science Building has a cistern that collects stormwater from the roof and water from air handlers. The water is stored in a 10,000 gallon cistern and used for irrigation on site. Additionally, a percentage of water that is collected and pumped out of underground utility tunnels is used to irrigate sports fields and lawns on campus, reusing water that would otherwise be pumped into a recharge well in place of using potable water for irrigation.
Vanderbilt is currently undergoing a Land Use Master Planning effort that will include a Sustainability Plan as well as a Stormwater Plan, which will guide these efforts on campus for future years. Specific recommendations will be made for how Vanderbilt should be collecting and reusing water in the master plan. https://www.vanderbilt.edu/chancellor/land-use-planning-initiative/
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
The majority of campus fixtures have been upgraded to water-efficient alternatives. In the 2013/2014 academic year, Vanderbilt retrofitted all 1,000 residence hall shower heads on campus to high-performance, low-flow models through a Green Fund project. This improvement will yield a savings of 28 million gallons of water annually.
Plumbing retrofits completed an additional 3,500 water-saving bathroom fixtures, conserving over 60 million gallons of water and saving over $300,000 each year.
In 2016 all 74 of the urinals in the stadium were replaced with ultra-low flow fixtures that use only 0.125 gal/flush. The new fixtures use 95% less than the old fixtures. The upgrade will save 355,000 gallons of water each year.
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:
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.