| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 75.41 |
| Liaison | Marianne Martin |
| Submission Date | March 23, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Colorado Boulder
OP-22: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.54 / 6.00 |
Jonathan
Akins Campus Civil Engineer Facilities Management |
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 | --- | 413,695,000 Gallons |
Potable water use:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 289,743,660 Gallons | 313,695,000 Gallons |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2016 | June 30, 2017 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2007 | June 30, 2008 |
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
In 2001-2002, CU used approximately 400 Mgal per year of water. Since then, CU has reduced water consumption because of the drought conditions we are experiencing, and because water has a large carbon footprint.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 6,014 | 6,451 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 15 | 11 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 26,124 | 25,978 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 6,212 | 5,534 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 1,450 | 5,503 |
| Weighted campus users | 24,671.75 | 21,122.25 |
Potable water use per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per weighted campus user | 11,743.94 Gallons | 14,851.40 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 | 11,048,065 Gross square feet | 9,685,160 Gross square feet |
Potable water use per unit of floor area:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per unit of floor area | 26.23 Gallons per square foot | 32.39 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 | 260 Acres | 260 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 | 1,591,134.62 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:
A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
Williams Village Graywater Reuse System: Greywater is an innovative water conservation methodology which was implemented as part of the newest HDS residence hall. The system is designed to collect 'grey' water (shower and sink water) from one wing of the residence hall, to process and filter that water and then redistribute it for use in the hall's toilets. This system is the first fully certified Grey Water system. The implementation required cooperation and collaboration between the project team, CU-Boulder, City of Boulder, and the State of Colorado.
This project has introduced the concept of water re-use to the campus at large and has advanced campus sustainability by allowing for the reuse of potable water for a second purpose. This system has been in full operation since 2016 and processes up to 2200 gallons per day for reuse in toilets.
This project was approved by the University, City and State. Housing & Dining Services along with their partners at Facilities Management and the City of Boulder were relentless in driving this project to a successful completion. The process of project development and approval was laborious and fraught with pitfalls as this was the initial full size project of this type in the State. All of those involved spent countless hours ensuring that this project would be approved, implemented and operational so as to deliver on the promise of water reuse.
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):
CU has standards the govern the efficiencies of plumbing fixtures. These efficiencies are determined based on balancing maintainability and conservation.
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.