| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 55.66 |
| Liaison | Marian Brown |
| Submission Date | Feb. 26, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Wells College
OP-26: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.32 / 4.00 |
Marian
Brown Director Center for Sustainability and the Environment |
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 | 12,728,500 Gallons | 12,756,900 Gallons |
Potable water use::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 12,728,500 Gallons | 12,756,900 Gallons |
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users"::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 495 | 495 |
| Number of residential employees | 1 | 1 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 532 | 525 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 175 | 168 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 0 | 0 |
Gross floor area of building space::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross floor area | 577,747 Square feet | 549,547 Square feet |
Area of vegetated grounds::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Vegetated grounds | 78.30 Acres | 78.30 Acres |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | Jan. 1, 2015 | Jan. 1, 2014 |
| Baseline Year | Dec. 31, 2015 | Dec. 31, 2014 |
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
The Office Manager for B&G was able to readily access monthly water meter readings for all of 2014, so that is the baseline we used. It was also interesting to chart what, if any difference, bringing Zabriskie Hall back into service would make on water use. Before October 2015, the building was not in service and being renovated.
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Recycled/reused water withdrawn from off-campus sources, performance year: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:
We do not have any water recovery/reuse systems currently in place.
A brief description of any water metering and management systems employed by the institution:
Wells College is unusual in that it processes the potable water for not only campus use but for the Village of Aurora as well. As such, the campus maintains two Master water meters (east/west) so it can readily determine how much water is processed for campus use and how much is sent on to the village. There are also several campus building/field-level water meters in place that are hooked to the Village water delivery system, so that building usage is backed out of total billing the College sends to the Village. There are meetings at the Boathouse, the softball field, Dodge House, the Medical Center, and the Service Building. (Water for the service building is used almost exclusively as "downflow" to restart the College water system).
A brief description of any building retrofit practices employed by the institution, e.g. to install high efficiency plumbing fixtures and fittings:
For major renovations and new construction project, the College has had low-flow faucets and 1.5 gpm toilet installed. As older fixtures require upgrades, the College installs low-flow faucets, shower heads and low-flush toilets.
A brief description of any policies or programs employed by the institution to replace appliances, equipment and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
As above. For major renovations and new construction project, the College has had low-flow faucets and 1.5 gpm toilet installed. As older fixtures require upgrades, the College installs low-flow faucets, shower heads and low-flush toilets.
A brief description of any water-efficient landscape design practices employed by the institution (e.g. xeriscaping):
Landscape beds and trees on campus are heavily mulched to conserve soil moisture. Both the volume of mulch around each planting has increased, as has the number of areas being mulched.
A brief description of any weather-informed irrigation technologies employed by the institution:
Despite irrigation water being (currently) plentiful, the Facilities Grounds group employs practices to use only the amount of water that is needed. On a weekly basis, using a soil probe, Grounds staff monitor soil moisture to a 5" depth to determine whether additional irrigation is needed or not. Rain gauges are in place near turf fields to determine the amount of actual precipitation received, and are monitored 5 days per week. Staff also conduct post-rainstorm sampling to determine whether adequate soil moisture levels have been achieved.
In addition, the head of Facilities Grounds estimate that 90% of landscape plants selected are drought-tolerant.
A brief description of other water conservation and efficiency strategies employed by the institution:
The washers in all student laundry rooms are high-efficiency washers, significantly reducing water consumption per load. Under its contract with the MacGray Company for laundry service, the College utilizes their LaundryView system, which charts estimated water savings from the use of these high-efficiency machines.
The College also educates its residents about personal water conserving techniques in bathrooms (shorter showers, turning off taps while toothbrushing, etc.)
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.