| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 46.90 |
| Liaison | Hannes Gerhardt |
| Submission Date | March 30, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of West Georgia
OP-22: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.91 / 4.00 |
Hannes
Gerhardt Sustainability Director Department of Geosciences |
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 | --- | 59,331,115 Gallons |
Potable water use:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 53,002,500 Gallons | 52,604,500 Gallons |
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, 2017 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2008 | June 30, 2011 |
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
We picked a baseline as far back as possible for which we had all the needed information to perform the calculation. We used 3 year averages for the baseline and performance year to get a more accurate reading.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 2,875 | 2,659 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 17 | 5 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 1 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 11,494 | 10,170 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 1,481 | 1,237 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 1,424 | 545 |
| Weighted campus users | 9,387.25 | 8,812.50 |
Potable water use per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per weighted campus user | 5,646.22 Gallons | 5,969.30 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 | 2,502,603 Gross square feet | 2,107,351 Gross square feet |
Potable water use per unit of floor area:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per unit of floor area | 21.18 Gallons per square foot | 24.96 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 | 512 Acres | 523 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 | 113,443.81 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:
Water conservation information is included in UWG's sustainability handbook as well as in some passive programming across campus.
A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
The University campus maintains cisterns on 4 properties with a 150,000 gallon holding capacity. The university can irrigate the 3.5 acres of sod at the Campus Coliseum, Nursing Building, the East Commons and the Oaks Apartments with non-potable cistern water for approximately 2 irrigation cycles per full capacity
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):
An effort has been made to purchase water efficient appliances. Housing Residence Life installed high pressure shower nozzles to reduce the amount of water use.
There is a recent Energy/Water Management Plan in place, which states:
We will develop policies to ensure that water conservation is part of the focus of new building design and construction by using the following features.
● Low flow faucets (< 1gpm)
● Low flow toilets and urinals (< 1.6gpm)
● Low flow showerheads (< 1.5gmp)
● Installing branch water valves to isolate and repair leaks more quickly
● Installing bottle filling water stations
● Utilizing well water for irrigation
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 weighted campus user numbers here are different than those in the institutional characteristics (IC-3) because the performance year used here includes three years, while IC-3 focuses only on the current year. Also, the on campus residents are slightly different here as we are excluding a small housing area on campus (fraternities/sororities) where we do not have access to their water use as it is not paid for by the university and each unit has separate billing.
The space numbers given here vary from that offered in IC-2 because we are using a 3 year average in Op-1, whereas in IC-2 we are only using the current year. Again, the total space numbers are slightly different here as we are excluding a small housing area on campus (fraternities/sororities) where we do not have access to their water use as it is not paid for by the university and each unit has separate billing.
The weighted campus user numbers here are different than those in the institutional characteristics (IC-3) because the performance year used here includes three years, while IC-3 focuses only on the current year. Also, the on campus residents are slightly different here as we are excluding a small housing area on campus (fraternities/sororities) where we do not have access to their water use as it is not paid for by the university and each unit has separate billing.
The space numbers given here vary from that offered in IC-2 because we are using a 3 year average in Op-1, whereas in IC-2 we are only using the current year. Again, the total space numbers are slightly different here as we are excluding a small housing area on campus (fraternities/sororities) where we do not have access to their water use as it is not paid for by the university and each unit has separate billing.
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.