Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 61.04
Liaison Tina Woolston
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Tufts University
OP-22: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.62 / 6.00 Shoshana Blank
Education and Outreach Program Administrator
Office of Sustainability
"---" 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’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas:
High

Part 1 

Total water use (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water use 122,830,828 Gallons 141,549,379 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 120,181,228 Gallons 141,549,379 Gallons

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2017 June 30, 2018
Baseline Year 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 baseline year is 2005.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 3,564 3,491
Number of employees resident on-site 11 9
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 10,598 9,113
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 4,149 3,481
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 94 0
Weighted campus users 11,883.50 10,320.50

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 10,113.29 Gallons 13,715.36 Gallons

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
26.26

Part 2 

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 5,568,412 Gross square feet 4,028,442 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 21.58 Gallons per square foot 35.14 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
38.58

Part 3 

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in total water use per acre/hectare of vegetated grounds):
Yes

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 692 Acres 694 Acres

Total water use (potable + non-potable) per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water use per unit of vegetated grounds 177,501.20 Gallons per acre 203,961.64 Gallons per acre

Percentage reduction in total water use per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
12.97

Optional Fields 

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:
Our education programs and outreach such as Green Office Certification and Eco-Ambassadors include water use reduction. We often give staff prompts to remind people to conserve water at the sink. We do a lot of education around the negatives of bottled water and encourage students and employees to use reusable water bottles. For people planning events, we assist them with water pitchers rather than bottled water.

A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
Tufts uses condensate from purchased steam to replenish a cooling tower water in lieu of using city water. This is for the Tufts Shared Services plant on our Boston campus.

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):
Any time any water fixture is replaced at Tufts we use a water efficient appliance (e.g. low-flow showerhead, faucets, and toilets). Often dual-flush toilets are used, but not in the residence halls. Cage and rack washer at DLAM upgraded to a water-efficient washer.

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:
Much of Tufts' water conservation efforts took place prior to 2005 and therefore are not captured using this metric. For the FY18 data reported here, we were able to calculate additional water use from non-metered wells used for irrigation of Tufts' Alumni Fields. We added that to the total potable water use at the university. The total non-potable water estimated to come from these wells is 2,649,600 gallons per year. These non-metered wells were drilled after the baseline year of 2005.

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.