| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 54.08 |
| Liaison | Jamey Pavey |
| Submission Date | Feb. 26, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Earlham College
OP-26: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Cindy
Callahan Assistant Director of Facilities Facilities |
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 | 8,417,686 Gallons | 22,917,319.48 Gallons |
Potable water use::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 8,417,686 Gallons | 22,917,319.48 Gallons |
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users"::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 845 | 1,067 |
| Number of residential employees | 4 | 4 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 982 | 1,135 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 371 | 315 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 0 | 0 |
Gross floor area of building space::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross floor area | 1,078,926 Square feet | 986,547 Square feet |
Area of vegetated grounds::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Vegetated grounds | 160 Acres | 165 Acres |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | Jan. 1, 2015 | Dec. 31, 2015 |
| Baseline Year | Jan. 1, 2012 | Dec. 31, 2012 |
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
This was the information used for our last STARS report.
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Recycled/reused water withdrawn from off-campus sources, performance year: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:
The Athletics and Wellness Center has an attached rain garden.
A brief description of any water metering and management systems employed by the institution:
A brief description of any building retrofit practices employed by the institution, e.g. to install high efficiency plumbing fixtures and fittings:
High efficiency shower heads were recently installed in all dorms as part of an energy performance upgrade undertaken by the college.
A brief description of any policies or programs employed by the institution to replace appliances, equipment and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
A brief description of any water-efficient landscape design practices employed by the institution (e.g. xeriscaping):
Xeriscaping is used on a total of 15 buildings.
Earlham College follows the practices of Xeriscaping throughout its campus buildings and grounds. From www.eartheasy.com there are 7 practices of Xeriscaping.
1. Reducing the use of water: Each plant is chosen for the location of the building with regards to the direction and the sun. Mulch is used routinely, and no irrigation system is in place we water by hand only when necessary.
2. Soil improvement: we use cow manure and peat moss while planting the chosen flowers, mulching each year to retain the soil quality, and choose organic fertilizers when necessary.
3. Create Limited turf: with a campus as large as we are we have a hard time creating limited turf area however we do plant trees and have a large amount of trees on campus to help with the area and create a canopy. We also mulch the leaves during the fall to help promote the soil.
4. Choose the right plants: We try to us drought friendly and native hardy plants wherever possible we use natural grasses, succulents, Native plants, and wildflowers along with conifers to create a show of color for each building. While choosing annuals we use marigolds,
5. Mulch we use several tons of mulch per year to all our areas of landscaping. It is applied at least 3 inches thick and placed around all plants to help keep in moisture. We use mulch from a wholesale dealer in Indiana
6. Irrigate: we only hand irrigate when necessary.
7. Maintain your landscape: we have a crew that constantly maintains the landscaping of the college. In drought conditions we do not mow the grass and let it grow and we weed regularly by hand or by low grade chemicals.
Other comments: while construction is involved on campus we try to maintain areas of top soil from being removed and put into place erosion control barriers. We buy our plants from reputable dealers that field raise their plants. On steep slopes we try when possible to leave natural or plant erosion controlling plants. Our mowing height is around 2-3 inches and we do not pick up the clippings but let lay to decompose back into the ground. And when at all possible we use IPM to deter pests from becoming a problem.
A brief description of any weather-informed irrigation technologies employed by the institution:
Irrigation is only used on the Athletic Fields, and the sprinkler system is attached to a rain gauge that prevents the system from operating if there has been a measurable amount of rain.
A brief description of other water conservation and efficiency strategies employed by the institution:
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.