| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.57 |
| Liaison | Derek Nichols |
| Submission Date | Sept. 16, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University at Buffalo
OP-26: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.27 / 3.00 |
Don
Erb Director, Residential Facilities Campus Living |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
None
Level of water risk for the institution’s main campus:
Low to Medium
Total water use (potable and non-potable combined)::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water use | 342,428,000 Gallons | 338,227,000 Gallons |
None
Potable water use::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 342,428,000 Gallons | 338,227,000 Gallons |
None
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users"::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 7,600 | 7,450 |
| Number of residential employees | 220 | 220 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 27,536 | 25,158 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 7,608 | 8,424 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 0 | 0 |
None
Gross floor area of building space::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross floor area | 11,104,407 Square feet | 10,427,776 Square feet |
None
Area of vegetated grounds::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Vegetated grounds | 28,516,466 Acres | 28,943,296 Acres |
None
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2013 | June 30, 2014 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2008 | June 30, 2009 |
None
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
2009 was the year that the University released it's Climate Action Plan. It is useful by comparing that baseline year to see the impact of our physical growth on the metrics.
None
Water recycled/reused on campus, performance year:
---
None
Recycled/reused water withdrawn from off-campus sources, performance year:
---
None
A brief description of any water recovery and reuse systems employed by the institution:
Retention ponds outside Davis hall provide irrigation to onsite plantings. At Greiner Hall, non-potable water from Lake Lasalle is used for irrigation.
None
A brief description of any water metering and management systems employed by the institution:
UB uses smart meters, which makes it easy to see if there is some sort of issue in a certain building based on the readings. Each building remains mostly constant in water usage, so if there is a spike in water usage for a certain building, that building will be investigated to identify issues.
None
A brief description of any building retrofit practices employed by the institution, e.g. to install high efficiency plumbing fixtures and fittings:
It is a practice to install low flow showerheads and faucets in building retrofits as well as specify them and low flow toilets in new construction.
None
A brief description of any policies or programs employed by the institution to replace appliances, equipment and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
The University looks to install the most efficient appliances and equipment in its buildings as a matter of practice.
None
A brief description of any water-efficient landscape design practices employed by the institution (e.g. xeriscaping):
UB promotes the use of drought tolerant plantings for new and upgraded landscaping projects, particularly in rain gardens which have become more prevalent on campus in recent years. Contractors are encouraged to develop plans using such plantings in order to reduce the need for irrigation. UB does relatively little artificial irrigation on campus.
None
A brief description of any weather-informed irrigation technologies employed by the institution:
Most irrigation done on campus is turned on and off manually. There are few automatic or timed irrigation systems, therefore weather sensors are unnecessary. the groundskeepers that manage the irrigation do so with weather forecasts in mind. They regularly check weather forecasts and past rainfall to determine how much, if any, irrigation is necessary. One exception is at Greiner Hall which is irrigated from Lake LaSalle, and artificial lake on the campus. This location does employ timers and/or moisture sensing.
None
A brief description of other water conservation and efficiency strategies employed by the institution:
---
None
The website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency initiatives is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.