| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.71 |
| Liaison | Alex Davis |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Arizona State University
OP-26: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.67 / 5.00 |
Betty
Lombardo Manager University Sustainability Practices |
Level of water risk for the institution’s main campus:
Total water use (potable and non-potable combined)::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water use | 897,492,871 Gallons | 865,530,418 Gallons |
Potable water use::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 897,492,871 Gallons | 865,530,418 Gallons |
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users"::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 11,712 | 6,100 |
| Number of residential employees | 0 | 0 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 68,374 | 52,975 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 8,358 | 9,281 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 6,230 | 0 |
Gross floor area of building space::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross floor area | 18,095,585 Square feet | 14,033,632 Square feet |
Area of vegetated grounds::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Vegetated grounds | 929 Acres | 929 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, 2013 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2006 | June 30, 2013 |
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
The baseline coincides with when Arizona State University completed its first formal Greenhouse Gas Inventory.
Water recycled/reused on campus, performance year:
Recycled/reused water withdrawn from off-campus sources, performance year:
A brief description of any water recovery and reuse systems employed by the institution:
There is a water capture project program at the Arizona State University Tempe campus Central Plant. The project captures previously wasted reverse osmosis reject water for reuse on mall power-washing and central plant cooling tower chillers. Over 4,000,000 gallons of water are saved annually by re-using the Reverse Osmosis reject water.
The Barrett Honors College Complex includes a greywater treatment and reuse system for buildings 7A and 7B. Greywater from building sinks, water fountains, and showers is treated to a reuse standard that is suitable as a water closet supply and/or an irrigation supply. The Greywater design flow is 10,000 gallons per day.
The Biodesign Institute includes a Graywater Capture Project - The Biodesign Institute has realized a 50% reduction in landscape water use from the installation of a high efficiency drip irrigation system that is supplied by greywater captured on-site.
A brief description of any water metering and management systems employed by the institution:
There are several university buildings with individual (manually read) water meters.
A brief description of any building retrofit practices employed by the institution, e.g. to install high efficiency plumbing fixtures and fittings:
Arizona State University has reduced water consumption in many buildings around campus through the installation of low-flow water fixtures such as sinks, showers, toilets, and in some buildings, waterless urinals.
A brief description of any policies or programs employed by the institution to replace appliances, equipment and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
Departments must follow the Purchasing 210 policy when they are purchasing or replacing appliances, equipment.
Arizona State University’s Purchasing 210: Green Purchasing policy reads: Purchase only the most water efficient appliances available. This includes, but is not limited to, high performance fixtures like toilets, low-flow faucets and aerators, and upgraded irrigation systems.
Departments also have access to Sustainability Initiatives Revolving Fund (SIRF) funding in order to replace entire systems of water systems with water efficient alternatives. https://cfo.asu.edu/sirf
A brief description of any water-efficient landscape design practices employed by the institution (e.g. xeriscaping):
Nearly all of Arizona State University Polytechnic campus grounds deploy a xeriscape technique with the exception of only a few small plots which we cultivate social gathering lawn spaces. A large majority of the land the campus rests on is still virgin desert while the maintained core of the campus remains true to the Sonoran desert pallet; palo verde, mesquite, saquaro, cresote and prickly pear are just some of the many native plants you'll encounter on campus grounds. Careful placement and hardscaping coupled with their drought tolerant characteristic allows us to limit, and in many cases completely eliminate, the use of irrigated water.
A brief description of any weather-informed irrigation technologies employed by the institution:
The Tempe campus specifies Calsense controllers for all new installations and renovations.
The Polytechnic campus also uses the water management system called Calsense. This system calculates water requirements from an initially established baseline which is programmed for desert adapted plants. It measures rain fall and adjusts metering as needed in addition to accounting for time of day and the evapotranspiration rates for the landscaped vegetation. The current system monitors a substantial portion of the campus core. Coverage equals approximately 1,007,376 square feet which is a substantial portion of our campus. The majority is left wild and plans for switching the rest of the scaped areas include reliance on weather gages to ensure optimal water use.
The Tempe campus specifies Calsense controllers for all new installations and renovations.
A brief description of other water conservation and efficiency strategies employed by the institution:
Arizona State University's campus is Arizona's largest public arboretum, dedicated in 1990 and committed to proper water management and conservation while educating visitors about the complex ecological systems on earth. Facilities Management has instituted several practices designed to reduce the amount of water used in landscaping on campus. About two-thirds of campus is watered at night to prevent evaporation. An initiative is also underway to automate the remaining systems so that the different plants on campus receive water based on both current weather conditions and a given plant’s evapotranspiration rate. Existing flood irrigation infrastructure has been preserved for future use with a gray water system when practicable.
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.