| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.87 |
| Liaison | Jessica Bast |
| Submission Date | Jan. 5, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
North Carolina State University
OP-26: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.95 / 4.00 |
Paul
McConocha Energy Program Director Energy Managament |
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 | 373,853,922.08 Gallons | 483,673,932.47 Gallons |
Potable water use::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 373,853,922.08 Gallons | 483,673,932.47 Gallons |
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users"::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 7,357 | 6,746 |
| Number of residential employees | 237 | 214 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 26,371.25 | 24,339 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 8,696.10 | 6,786.80 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 1,565.75 | 300 |
Gross floor area of building space::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross floor area | 15,144,558 Square feet | 9,796,638 Square feet |
Area of vegetated grounds::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Vegetated grounds | 1,239 Acres | 718 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, 2001 | June 30, 2002 |
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
The State of North Carolina mandated this baseline through Senate Bill 668.
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Recycled/reused water withdrawn from off-campus sources, performance year: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 are multiple systems across campus that collect rain water from roofs and condensate from HVAC systems. All of the captured water is stored in tanks. The tanks are both above and below ground. The collected water is used in one of two ways. Most of the systems are used to fill tanks used to water plant beds. A few of the systems are use to supply water to irrigation systems. Rain water is also captured from utility plant roofing and added to cooling tower makeup. NC State does not track the amounts.
A brief description of any water metering and management systems employed by the institution:
Standard utility grade metering systems are standard practice, including wi-fi smart metering on major metering systems.
A brief description of any building retrofit practices employed by the institution, e.g. to install high efficiency plumbing fixtures and fittings:
High efficiency plumbing fixtures and fittings are the University best practice.
A brief description of any policies or programs employed by the institution to replace appliances, equipment and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
Over the last two years, dozens of old autoclave units have been retrofitted with water-mizers.
A brief description of any water-efficient landscape design practices employed by the institution (e.g. xeriscaping):
NC State has taken several efforts to create a water-efficient landscape. Using native plants reduces the need for excess watering. NC State has increased the native plants used by another 3% this year. Other practices include using ground cover in place of sod in non irrigated areas, planting native seed on slopes at or greater than 3:1 incline,
reducing tree diameter from 4" to 2.5"-3", and top dressing compost underneath mulch for perennials.
NC State also purchases compost from a vendor that uses the University's food waste products and installs plants grown by our student horticultural department to minimize outside resource dependency.
A landscape committee formed to ensure all sustainable measures are applied during the design phases. Additional dry wells and previous areas created on campus reduce our water loss.
A brief description of any weather-informed irrigation technologies employed by the institution:
NC State uses the Maxicom irrigation system. The average season is 32 weeks (April thru October). Needed achievement of watering is to irrigate 1 inch per week on turf and ornamentals (this is without rain fall), and all systems have rain sensors set at 1 inch to cancel system operation when adequate 1 inch rain fall is achieved. The Maxicom irrigation system’s manages sites based on a weather station data to run and shut down systems for accuracy. We use Rain Bird IQ , a system that allows us to use weather and systems flow to prevent over watering and any leaks that might happen during a systems run of operation.
A brief description of other water conservation and efficiency strategies employed by the institution:
Reuse water from the Neuse River publicly owned treatment works is being installed on Centennial Campus for golf course irrigation, Hunt Library toilet rooms, and utility plant cooling tower makeup.
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.