| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 56.19 |
| Liaison | Lissette Hernandez |
| Submission Date | May 13, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Florida International University
OP-26: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.76 / 3.00 |
Alexandra
Dutton Program Manager Office of University Sustainability |
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 | 369,170,304 Gallons | 538,246,941 Gallons |
Potable water use::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 242,805,688 Gallons | 183,055,277 Gallons |
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users"::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 3,195 | 2,736 |
| Number of residential employees | 7 | 7 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 30,411 | 24,605 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 5,914.50 | 3,774 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 7,220 | 3,686 |
Gross floor area of building space::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross floor area | 9,774,810 Square feet | 7,116,065 Square feet |
Area of vegetated grounds::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Vegetated grounds | 15,185,087.52 Acres | 17,843,827.75 Acres |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2014 | June 30, 2015 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2006 | June 30, 2007 |
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
The FIU Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report was conducted in 2008 as FIU's first significant step towards quantifying the campus' environmental impact through greenhouse gas emissions. The FIU President's Climate Commitment Task Force decided that fiscal year 2007 would be used as FIU's emissions baseline.
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Recycled/reused water withdrawn from off-campus sources, performance year: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:
FIU has many retention ponds on campus that are used to capture rainwater and run-off. The water captured is used for irrigating all campus grounds. Irrigation of grounds may be supplemented with potable if needed, but the goal is to not use any potable water.
At FIU's Biscayne Bay Campus, treated graywater is used to irrigate the grounds.
A brief description of any water metering and management systems employed by the institution:
Most buildings have their own water meter installed by Miami-Dade Water and Sewer. There are a few instances where two buildings will share one or where one building has multiple.
A brief description of any building retrofit practices employed by the institution, e.g. to install high efficiency plumbing fixtures and fittings:
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):
At FIU, xeriscaping means using the right plant for the right location. FIU strives to use both native and non-invasive naturalized drought tolerant plants for a more water efficient landscape. While water conservation is a major objective of any xeriscaped landscape, properly designed xeriscaped gardens also generally require less maintenance and minimize the need for fertilizers and pesticides.
Our keys to xeriscaping are:
A. Planning our landscape by matching plants according to their hydro zones and light requirements.
B. Irrigate effectively and efficiently on an as needed basis.
C. Select Drought Tolerant Plants.
D. Effective use of mulch to maintaining our landscape.
There are many xeriscape applications throughout campus. One great example is in front of the Century Bank Arena (east side). The use of drought tolerant and high-sun plants like firebush are used.
A brief description of any weather-informed irrigation technologies employed by the institution:
All of FIU's irrigation systems are installed with rain sensors, which allow the unit to determine when to activate the pump. When it rains the sensors do not activate the pumps, and when it doesn’t rain, the system will engage according to its set irrigation time. FIU attempts to irrigate the campus in the late hours of the evening in order to lessen the time the grass stays wet. This helps to reduce fungus outbreaks. We have also installed flow meters on all pump stations. These flow meters monitor how many gallons of water we are using. FIU adheres to all the rules and regulations set forth by the South Florida Water Management District.
FIU's Biscayne Bay Campus uses gray water exclusively to irrigate campus grounds.
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.