| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 67.83 |
| Liaison | Andrew Porter |
| Submission Date | March 10, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Cincinnati
OP-22: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Daniel
Hart Sustainability Coordinator Planning + Design + Construction |
Level of ”Physical Risk QUANTITY” for the institution’s main campus as indicated by the World Resources Institute’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas:
Total water use (potable and non-potable combined):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water use | --- | 584,137,587 Gallons |
Potable water use:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 245,612,074 Gallons | 426,644,240 Gallons |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2015 | June 30, 2016 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2008 | June 30, 2009 |
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
For consistency's sake we have adopted a 2009 baseline across the board for all STARS operational credits, as that is the earliest year for which we have strong consistent data sets across categories.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 5,238 | 5,200 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 28,922 | 26,055 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 8,552 | 7,403 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education |
2,427
Date Revised: Sept. 12, 2017
|
1,457
Date Revised: Sept. 12, 2017
|
| Weighted campus users | 27,594.75 | 25,300.75 |
Potable water use per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per weighted campus user | 8,900.68 Gallons | 16,862.91 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 | 14,510,838 Gross square feet | 13,705,694 Gross square feet |
Potable water use per unit of floor area:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per unit of floor area | 16.93 Gallons per square foot | 31.13 Gallons per square foot |
Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
Does the institution wish to pursue Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in total water use per acre/hectare of vegetated grounds):
Area of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Vegetated grounds | 165 Acres | 145 Acres |
Total water use (potable + non-potable) per unit of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water use per unit of vegetated grounds | 0 Gallons per acre | 4,028,535.08 Gallons per acre |
Percentage reduction in total water use per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives, e.g. initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices such as signage and competitions:
The University of Cincinnati (UC) takes the conservation of water seriously throughout the daily operation of its buildings—as evidenced by UC’s commitment to building all its new buildings or large- scale renovations to LEED standards. In existing buildings, facility staff are given comprehensive training on detecting and fixing water leaks as soon as discovered. From a purchasing perspective, it is the policy of UC facilities to install high efficiency water fixtures, where appropriate water saving technologies exist. UC’s water conservation policies also extend to the proper maintenance of the utility plant’s chilled water and steam distribution and return systems. These utility systems utilize a vast amount of water and the proper return and reuse of this water represents an enormous ongoing savings for the campus. These building-centered water management strategies parallels additional efforts on the campus to manage storm water runoff and minimize harmful impacts to the larger Cincinnati sewer system.
A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
In order to reduce runoff of storm water from roof surfaces, UC has started installation of green roofs. A green roof is a roof surface covered with vegetation in a growing medium. The Zimmer Roof Garden functions as a green roof. As part of the renovation of Procter Hall, a partial green roof was constructed in Spring 2012. Another green roof is installed on DAA as of 2013. In addition to retaining stormwater, green roofs help insulate buildings, create a habitat for urban wildlife, and help mitigate the heat island effect.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives (e.g. building retrofits):
UC also promotes the conservation of water and has installed low-flow toilets and other fixtures wherever possible. The Campus Conservation Nationals competition encourage residence hall students to compete each year to see which hall can conserve the most water.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.