Overall Rating	Gold
Overall Score	73.66
Liaison	Amber Saxton
Submission Date	Feb. 22, 2024

STARS v2.2

George Mason University
OP-21: Water Use

Status

Score

Responsible Party

2.75 / 5.00

DJ Spaulding
Energy and Utility Manager
Facilities Management

"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Level of ”Physical Risk Quantity” for the institution’s main campus as indicated by the World Resources Institute Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas:

Medium to High

Part 1. Reduction in potable water use per person

Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal	611,483.78 Cubic meters	503,769.93 Cubic meters

Potable water use:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use	611,483.78 Cubic meters	503,769.93 Cubic meters

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):

	Start Date	End Date
Performance Period	July 1, 2021	June 30, 2022
Baseline Period	July 1, 2004	June 30, 2005

If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:

A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:

The 2005 water baseline was adopted based on its relation to the energy performance contracts completed by Siemens. The baseline is before the energy contracts were implemented.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site	5,293	3,840
Number of employees resident on-site	17	0
Number of other individuals resident on-site	0	0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	32,344	21,950
Full-time equivalent of employees	4,897	2,997.40
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	5,151	0
Weighted campus users	25,395	19,670.55

Potable water use per weighted campus user:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user	24.08 Cubic meters	25.61 Cubic meters

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:

5.98

Part 2. Reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area

Gross floor area of building space:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Gross floor area	837,647.26 Gross square meters	465,977.85 Gross square meters

Potable water use per unit of floor area:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area	0.73 Cubic meters per square meter	1.08 Cubic meters per square meter

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:

32.48

Part 3. Reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds

Area of vegetated grounds:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds	144.76 Hectares	103.19 Hectares

Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds	4,224 Cubic meters per hectare	4,881.74 Cubic meters per hectare

Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:

13.47

Optional Fields

A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives:

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A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:

The university is committed to reducing water uses around campus, FY23-FY24 Mason is implementing Water Conservation measures to reduce the process water for cooling loads. On the Fairfax campus, the irrigation system has sensors that register when there is rainfall; thus water less if at all. While at the Science and Technology campus, the irrigation system evaluates local weather data. Mason's Child Development Center Garden has an irrigation system from Water Management, Inc. The irrigation system utilizes rainwater to water the garden.

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:

Since 2005, Mason has initiated two energy savings performance contracts where heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment were upgraded along with lighting and water fixtures. Mason also follows Virginia state policy which states that all new buildings should be built to LEED Silver or equivalent. Mason's Design Information Manual also prioritizes water saving infrastructure when constructing new buildings.

Website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency efforts is available:

https://green.gmu.edu/campus-sustainability/water/

Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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